Lone Child: Second Edition
by Firepanther2000
Summary: AU: In an desperate ploy to outsmart a Prophecy and protect their infant son Lily and James Potter switched Harry Potter with a muggle baby. The Changeling should have been raised by a normal family and he should have been safe from Voldemort. Unfortunately even the best laid plans often go awry.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: This is the first chapter of a possible rewrite of Lone Child, a story I published in September of 2003 and finished in March of 2004. This story pre-dates Order of the Phoenix, which means a massive overhaul will be required to have the original story make any sense with the new time line. I was 13 when I published the original so I imagine my writing style has changed in the last decade, for better or worse. As a reminder of my old policy, I'm very nice until you give me a reason not to be. Constructive criticism is welcome, but unwarranted name-calling is not (You-know-who-you-are: retard is a bad word and you are a douche canoe). **

**The original version is GOING TO STAY UP. You can't learn from your mistakes and grow as a writer if you erase where you came from, so it stays. Leave a review and let me know what you think of this. I can see that I'm generating a lot of traffic (+5k people in 24 hours) but that doesn't tell me if I'm doing well or not. You can also PM me with any questions. Thanks for reading! Enjoy! **

**Lone Child** **Chapter 1: A Child With A Gift**

A small boy cuddled into his mother's arms, emerald eyes drowsily focused on the picture book in his lap. The little boy's dark hair was long and silky, kept back from his eyes in a low ponytail. His mother's long blond curls tickled the back of his neck and she pressed a kiss to his temple. Light blue eyes traced the contours of her son's face, still amazed she had been blessed with this beautiful boy five years ago.

Flames danced merrily in the living room furnace, trying to spread their cheer and warmth through the house. An older man sat in a recliner near the woman and child, salt and pepper hair glowing orange in the flame light. Hazel eyes were focused on _The London Evening Standard_, a pen tapping his teeth has he puzzled the clue in the crossword. The man was visibly startled when the woman, Emma, spoke to the dozing boy in her lap

"James, baby, it's past your bed time," she whispered, planting her son's crown with more kisses.

The boy opened a bleary eye and yawned. "Yes, mummy," he said, turning his face to snuggle into her breast. Emma smiled and gave the boy a squeeze before easing him from her lap. "Go say good night to your father, love," she urged, giving the tired child a push towards the older man. He crawled onto the man's lap and hugged him around the neck. "Good night daddy," he said, placing a sloppy kiss on the man's cheek. The man laughed and tussled the boy's hair.

"Good night, sport. Sweet dreams." The man placed a kiss on the boy's waiting cheek and helped him back to the floor.

"Are you coming to bed as well, Alex?" Emma asked her husband.

"Yes. I will be along after I finish the puzzle, my love," he responded, eyes back on the crossword. Emma rolled her eyes, knowing that her husband very rarely completed the evening puzzle. She returned her attention to her son, his tiny hand grasping hers, waiting to be led to the bathroom for a quick pee and then to bed for the night. She was close to the top of the stairs, child in hand, when she heard a crack like thunder. She used her body to shield her child as splinters rained down from the shattered door below their stairs.

Alex was on his feet before Emma regained her footing, puzzle lying forgotten on the floor. He held his shotgun, cleverly disguised as a decorative piece on the mantel, level at the space where the front door had been before the dust had time to clear. Despite living in an upper class neighborhood, the Veteran of the Royal Air Force always felt safer with a firearm nearby. The weight was familiar and comforting as he stared down the barrel at the unwelcome guest breezing in to the foyer. A tall, thin man in a black dress came to a halt just beneath the stairs, a thin stick visible in his grasp. The man's face could only be described as deformed, his features taking on a distinct reptilian quality.

Alex felt confused. A man in a dress with a poor facial reconstruction reduced the mahogany door to splinters with… a grenade? The blast didn't have the force of any grenade Alex had experienced, so maybe a homemade explosive? Alex opened his mouth to speak, to demand the intruder leave his home. He made no sound as the intruder waved the stick at him with a shout. "Avada Kedavra!" Green light struck Alex in the chest, the force of the blast causing him to pull the shotgun's trigger. Pellets sprayed harmlessly into the ceiling as Alex processed his last thought.

'I'm sorry Emma. I love you.'

Emma watched from the landing as her husband of twenty years slammed into the den wall, slid down and did not move again. Tears threatened to blind her but she knew there was no hope for Alex. She had to protect James. The child was wide-eyed at the noise from the initial blast and from his father's flesh striking stone. Emma lifted the boy on to her hip, and silently ascended the stairs to the child's room.

Toys were spread all over the floor from today's play and Emma had to be careful not to step on any that would make noise. James had not made a sound, sensing his mother's need for him to stay quiet. She crossed the large room to the window and the fire escape. She had insisted Alex have it installed when she got pregnant with James, so that they could easily access and escape from James's room in case of a fire. The ugly platform circled a good portion of the house, connecting James's room to the master suite. Emma placed James on the floor, pressing a finger to her lips and urging him to stay quiet. Tears welled in the boy's eyes as he nodded, watching his mother silently open the curtains and then the window. The man downstairs had made no noise after the shotgun blast, but she didn't want to draw his attention to their location. Adrenaline coursed through her veins as she turned to lift her son back on to her hip and saw the man in the black dress watching her in the doorway.

Rage and fear welled up around her heart as she pushed her little boy into hiding behind her legs. "Take what you want," she urged, sounding far braver than she felt. "Just let us go." She was terrified for her son's life but the swell of fury in her veins nearly overshadowed the fear. The man's dark eyes pierced her soul and the longer he stared the angrier she grew. As the dark figure lifted the hand holding the stick into the air Emma rushed him. She managed to swipe her nails across his face when a yellow-white light struck her abdomen. Pain like millions of hot knives dipped in acid pierced every nerve, forcing her to drop to the carpet in convulsions. She was vaguely aware of her wretched screams, blue eyes focused on her son. The boy's green eyes locked with hers. She urged the boy to run away from the demon son-of-a-bitch that would _dare_ touch her child but knew he didn't understand her silent message.

James felt warmth down in his trouser area as his overfull bladder released. The dark man scared him and he wanted mommy to protect him. Except mommy was screaming on the floor, eyes watching him as blood began to bubble from her nose. The dark man had a cruel smile on his face, like he _enjoyed_ causing the boy's mother great pain. Tears ran freely down her face and mixed with the blood from her nose. The boy felt petrified but fear quickly turned to anger as the dark man began to laugh like the bad guys on the morning cartoons. As he watched his mother convulse and scream James could feel something bubbling under the surface of his skin. It didn't feel right, like a million ants crawling down his neck followed by a rush of warmth similar to his bladder releasing. Warmth quickly turned to pressure and then to uncomfortable tightness in his own skin.

James felt sure he would explode as his skin constricted on his bones until there was a great flash of white light striking the dark man. All at once the bad man's body struck the nursery wall, his stick fell to the ground, Emma stopped screaming and James's skin returned to normal. James rushed his mother, an enormous sense of relief over shadowing exhaustion he now felt in his bones. Emma tried to push herself to a sitting position on still twitching muscles, amazed at the sight she had just witnessed. Her tiny, pee-soaked little boy had been engulfed in a sea of light that _launched_ that bastard across the room.

She clutched the boy in her lap, pushing her body back towards the fire escape. She nearly made it, boy and all, when the man in black caught her eyes again. He was on his feet and looked _furious_, eyes gleaming red in the dark nursery. He leveled his stick at the boy lying in her lap, shouting "Avada Kedavra!" for the second time that evening. Emma used what little strength she possessed to turn on her belly, protecting James underneath her slight frame. 'God protect you, baby. I love you!' she thought as the green light struck her back and all other thoughts faded from her mind as death took hold.

James struggled to draw air into his tiny lungs. Mummy's body on top of him was heavy and he felt too tired to move. His mother's hand still grasped his small one, the blood under her nails from her attack on the dark man smearing onto his small hand. The pressure on his lungs eased as her weight eased off of him, and he felt confident that she would get up and strike down the bad man. Except the bad man was standing over him, Emma's lifeless eyes watching from a few feet away. The dark man was pointing his stick again, this time aimed at James's heart.

The little boy, trapped and tired and alone, flew into a tantrum and attacked the dark figure before he could make more light appear. James clawed and bit the arm holding the stick, feet kicking the much larger man's shins. He tasted something bitter and metallic as he bit down on the man's arm as hard as he could with widely spaced baby teeth. The dark figure shouted, startled that he would be attacked in such an uncouth manner twice in one night. Eager to end the curse that had hung over his head for more than five years, Lord Voldemort slapped the boy hard across the face. The boy's teeth released flesh, leaving a gushing wound behind. Voldemort scowled at the injury. He had intended to kill the Potter brat quickly as there was little glory in murdering children but the lacerated flesh tempted his brittle resolve.

The Potters, so smug thinking they'd protected their only child by switching him with a muggle infant. A child prophesized to defeat the greatest dark lord in existence could not be hidden from Dark Lord Voldemort. It was his destiny to slit the child's throat and mount his head on a pike to show off to the Potter Wife, to show her that he knew about her little deception. Voldemort's focus shifted from the bleeding bite on his wand arm to the child with the power to defeat him.

Little eyes overflowed with tears as the boy used his bloodied hand to wipe at the new cut on his face. It hurt and James wanted mummy to kiss it better but she still watched, motionless, from a few feet away. The dark man, blood dripping down his hand, pointed the stick at the boy again, determined to finish this quickly. Doubtlessly the house was being monitored, it was only a matter of time before Ministry and Dumbledore's gang of misfits appeared.

The white and then green flash of light emitting from the man's stick blinded James. He whimpered, the bright light and booming thunder created by the clash of energies hurt his ears. He curled into a ball on the floor, hands desperately shielding his ears from the percussive abuse. The booming noise and bright light soon faded and James was left alone with the still-warm body of his dead mother.

The little boy's whole body shook with fear. He wanted to be somewhere safe. He wanted mommy to make it all better. He wanted daddy to tell him a story and tuck him in. Panic overpowered him as the sensation of being sucked through a very small hose overtook his senses. It lasted a few seconds and James wasn't in his bedroom anymore. The boy could feel a new carpet under him, musty and far coarser than the one in his nursery. His swollen and tired eyes were drawn to the flickering fire in the corner and a pair of curious grey eyes watching him. His lip trembled and his nose ran. He couldn't breathe as sobs tore from his throat with the word "mommy" over and over.

The stranger sitting near the wood stove approached the child slowly. It wasn't every day that a small child appeared in his heavily warded home dripping in blood. Actually it was rather unusual, even by magical standards. Dragon, the grey-eyed stranger, gathered the child in his arms. His experience with children was limited, but he knew that cuddling them was always a good start to end crying. "Shhhhh, it's okay, boy. I've got you," he whispered, rocking the child. It took a few minutes but the boy's sobs soon reduced to sniffles and Dragon knew his window to interrogate the child was closing as exhaustion started to close around the boy. "Child, can you tell me your name?" he asked, giving the boy a little shake. He couldn't be sure the child was still awake, the boy's head dug deeply into the crook of his neck.

"James," a little voice croaked. Dragon felt a cool rush down his spine at the child's name. This couldn't be the same James he'd been having visions of for the past several days. The boy in the visions was older; a jagged scar shaped like a lightning bolt a prominent sign of power on his forehead. Dragon couldn't adjust the child to get a good look at his face, but if they were the same then Dragon's visions were becoming unreliable. After more than four hundred and fifty years as a Seer, Dragon doubted this was the case. Something unsettled the universe and changed the flow of time. Changed history. Changed… something.


	2. Chapter 2

**Lone Child Chapter 2: The Letter**

James could feel her eyes on him. Predators often gave themselves away before they could pounce by being too quiet. Or too loud. This particular predator was trying to use the environment to her advantage. A dark room with the fan on high, disguising the creak of the door hinges and the floorboards as she approached the bed. The only real clue James had of her approach was the subtle sound of claws gaining traction on his bedside carpet.

'_Three…two…one…' _James counted, consciously not tensing his muscles or altering his breathing. It would give his knowledge of her movements away. On zero he felt her large paws strike his chest, tips of her claws digging into the skin and her weight forcing the air out of his lungs. Wide-set blue eyes locked on his and sharp, white teeth glimmered in the darkness, ready to tear flesh and break bone. The only thing stopping the over-sized feline was the crackling blue energy now tickling the fur on her neck.

James lifted one eyebrow at the giant cat, daring her to make a move. With a huff she retracted her claws and rolled onto his side, black fur giving way to pale skin during the tumble. James turned on his side to face the panther-turned-young-lady, admiring her the blue streaks in her otherwise auburn hair.

"I almost had you this time, Jamie! I got all the way to the bed before you heard me coming!" she claimed, clearly excited that she'd almost managed to sneak up on the boy. He chose not to inform her that he picked up on her presence before she'd even crossed the threshold. Knowing where Trisstessa was at anytime was a requirement of enjoying his sanity. The girl often made a game out of trying spooking her companions with her many different forms, completely disregarding that fact that she lived with two potentially volatile wizards that could instinctively react to a fire-breathing dragon and hurt her.

"Keep practicing," James encouraged with a smile. The girl still needed the reassurance that transforming as often as she did was okay, even after so many years living in Dragon's home. When James found Trisstessa three years ago she had been living on the streets of London for months. Her muggle father swore that his ever-changing daughter was possessed by demons that would change her hair color or allow her to become an animal to torment him. He tried to kill the demon in his daughter by drowning it out of her, very nearly resulting in her death. She'd used accidental magic to escape and spent months dodging adults wishing to return her to her murderous father. James found her hiding in a mass of wet boxes, ill with Dragon Pox and moderately malnourished. Unable to leave the girl behind, she'd found a home under Dragon's roof.

The same age, the two children had become close companions under the Asian man's tutelage. Unable to ever identify where James came from when he appeared six years ago, Dragon chose to keep the boy rather than turn him over to foster care ill-equipped to handle a child of James's unique talents. Nearly four hundred and fifty years old himself, the Grand Master sometimes had difficulty keeping up with a child, even in a young man's body. Two children keeping up with each other? Not difficult at all.

Still lying next to James, the slim girl snapped her fingers in the air with a grin. James reached an arm into the air and caught the envelope sailing through his bedroom door, knowing that it would become aggressive and difficult to catch if he let it fly around for too long. Triss pouted, she always enjoyed antagonizing her companion with her enchantments.

James examined the envelope, fingers tracing over the slightly raised lettering of his name. Only five years old, James could never remember his family in detail. He remembered what his parents looked like but his last name and where he lived had been a mystery. Dragon had tried to track James's family down but there had been no mention of missing children in the papers, and even tracking spells were unsuccessful. The boy had some sort of block surrounding him, preventing any type of trace. The centuries old Grandmaster tried everything in his books to get through the barrier but it was beyond his means. The boy was subconsciously projecting the protection and couldn't yet grasp control of it.

Knowing this, James was surprised to see a name other than James Shui written in the emerald ink. **James Cage** was scratched on the surface, along with **Second Bedroom, Water House, London**. James had seen magic pushed to its limits on more than one occasion, but he'd never seen a spell track his whereabouts so accurately. Even the Grandmaster could rarely pin down anything more specific than what city James was standing in. Much like Grandmaster Dragon's name, Water House had been translated from Dragon's native hanzi but the address was startlingly correct. With weary fingers James broke the large wax seal and read:

_**Dear Mr. Cage,**_

_**We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Enclosed you will find a list of school supplies that will be necessary for the up coming school year. First Years please note that you may not bring your own broom. The Hogwarts Express will be leaving from Platform 9 ¾ on September the First at 11 a.m.**_

_**Sincerely,**_

_**Deputy Headmistress Minerva McGonagall**_

James laid the letter on the table next to his bed and turned to Triss. "Did you get a letter too?" he asked. Triss nodded, barely containing her excitement. The two were familiar with the premier boarding school but were not expecting any sort of acceptance letter since neither had applied. "Have you talked to Dragon about it yet?"

"No, I was waiting for you," she replied, still fidgeting in excitement. Triss wanted to attend Hogwarts ever since Grandmaster told them about the Great Basilisk kept by Salazar Slytherin in the Chamber of Secrets. The location of the Chamber was lost with time, but Triss's dream was to find the Chamber herself.

"We need to go talk to him," said James, throwing the blanket off his legs. Triss was already racing down the hall on four puppy legs. James followed at a more sedate pace, his body still sore from their training exercises yesterday.

He found Triss and Dragon in the kitchen cooking pancakes. Neither a talented cook, there was a haze of smoking engulfing the entire room. James coughed and waved his hand at the ceiling. Triss caught sight of the motion and storm cloud forming over her head. "James, don't even think…Ahhhhh!" Triss screamed as the storm cloud released a crack of lightning and downpour of rain.

James laughed, running to the other side of the kitchen table to get away from the damp girl now chasing him with a burned spatula. Triss chased the boy around the table for several seconds before using her own talent to stick his foot to the ground. She tackled the taller boy and suddenly two kittens were rolling on the floor, biting and kicking. The larger kitten, black with a white tuff over his eye, seemed to have the upper hand until the tiger kitten used her hind legs to kick him over her head. He didn't have time to recover before Triss was on his back, nipping his scruff in the unofficial end of their game.

James returned to human form, Triss following his example seconds later.

The Grandmaster paid the children little mind, clearing away the storm cloud and cooking pancakes and sausage to perfection with a single wave of his hand. The children in question went about their regular duties without further prompting, using magic to set the table and waiting for the Grandmaster. After decades of living in London Dragon had conformed to many of the local customs but he found pancakes was still his favorite foreign cuisine.

Dragon levitated the platters of food to the table, serving himself first as was customary. The children followed and they spent several moments eating in silence before Dragon spoke. "You received letters this morning?"

"We did. From Hogwarts."

"Wonderful. I wondered if the letter would be able to find you."

James was confused. "You plan for us to attend?"

"Trisstessa has desired to attend the school for many months. Do you not feel the same?" Dragon was concerned. Typically where one child went, the other quickly followed. They had already accomplished more than he ever intended to teach them while their magic was still developing, so Hogwarts would be a welcome distraction and way to make friends until they were old enough to go further.

"It isn't that I don't want to go, I'm just surprised. Did you see the name on the envelope?" Dragon shook his head in the negative, reaching across the table for the folded parchment.

"James Cage. Interesting. I've not known any of Hogwart's enchantments to be wrong so believe this may be your real last name, son." Dragon returned the parchment to the boy. "If you do plan to attend, you must make up your mind soon. Very few students turn down the opportunity to attend so the school does have something of a waitlist."

James exchanged a look with Triss and knew she would not go if he didn't want to go. He felt torn. On one hand he felt safe with Dragon in Water House but on the other there was a lot of adventure to be had at an enchanted castle of that magnitude. He'd be surprised if the residual magic in their air didn't make the walls of the castle sing. And Triss desperately wanted to go. That made up his mind. "I'll go," he declared.

Dragon nodded and began fishing for something in his robes. After a few seconds he passed a small golden key to each child. "I believe you have earned a day to play in Diagon Alley. Do not lose those, children. We shall depart in one hour." The Grandmaster faded from the table, no doubt to meditate before facing the crowds of Diagon Alley.

The man preferred not to leave the solitude of his home, but "nosey, do-good cows" often gave his children difficulties when he allowed them to shop and travel on their own. With magical capabilities beyond any adult sorcerer he'd seen come from Hogwarts he did not fear for their safety, but everyone else only saw children. Extremely gifted children.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Small grammar mistakes don't bother me. An auto-corrected word here, a word that somehow ended up in the middle of a sentence it doesn't belong in over there, and an extra comma or twelve. It happens to all of us. It's no big deal. Please don't have an aneurysm over it. Yes, I proofread and use Spell Check but it is hard to see your own mistakes and I don't like using a Beta. **

**If you've left a comment under a penname, chances are that I've messaged you back. If not… I didn't. So look in your inbox if you haven't already. Enjoy and thanks for reading! **

Grandmaster and two children materialized in a small, dank, dirty alleyway. Afternoon rains washed away the lingering smell of garbage and urine typically clinging to the alley and replaced it with an unidentifiable musky smell. The children fled the smell in favor cleaner air on the main road. Grandmaster followed at a sedate pace, accustomed to the energy of the two eleven year old children he called his own and far too old to outrun bad smells.

Triss, always the instigator, fired a spell at the faster boy, causing his shoelaces to tie themselves and trip him up. The impact with the dirty London pavement abraded the skin on his palms and knees, but the boy was up a second after falling, skin and cloth knitting together as if the fall hadn't happened.

"Children!" called the Grandmaster. Still young, the children sometimes neglected the International Statue of Secrecy designed to separate the Magical from the mundane. The children turned and smiled apologies at the Grandmaster, and resumed their game of Magic-less Tag down the mildly crowded muggle street, oblivious to the protest of the pedestrians in their path.

Several blocks later Dragon seated himself at the bar of _The Leaky Cauldron, _knowing the children had run passed the building in their play and would eventually recognize their mistake on their own which gave him plenty of time to enjoy a hot tea. The two visited Diagon Alley many times on their own and with the company of Dragon. He had little doubt they would find their way back.

Traditional herb tea, provided by the friendly barkeep, soothed the old-man-in-a-young-body while he waited. The Fountain of Youth could restore his body to perfect health over and over but the Grandmaster often felt the years in his bones. If not for young James and Trisstessa, he may have allowed the natural flow of time to consume his old soul during this life. Currently his body resembled that of his twenty-five year old self, restored after a short battle with lung cancer not long after James's arrival. Cigarettes, while still popular, were becoming well known for their carcinogenic effects on the body.

Dragon drew the last sip of the bitter tea into his mouth as his wayward children breeched the front door of the establishment. A few patrons turned to view the commotion but most ignored the rowdy children. The Grandmaster sometimes felt he should be stricter with their behavior and other times felt that the children would find their own way with simple guidance. A word here, a gesture there was often all the effort required to curb errant behavior. Not to mention an intense training routine to expend excess energy.

Dragon saw talent in young James that he had not seen in centuries of teaching other wizards. Like Merlin, the boy had the potential to be a powerful Mage under the proper tutelage but not for a few more years. At present Dragon couldn't help the nagging feeling that the boy must go to Hogwarts, an institution the Grandmaster would have never considered in ordinary circumstance. Western Culture had a very limited view on the role of the role of Magic in life; as such Dragon would prefer James attended The Magic Academy in Shanghai.

As an original founder of the prestigious academy, and a teacher there for nearly eighty years, he could easily assure both children a spot at age fifteen. A viable option if Hogwarts didn't suit the rambunctious children.

The children approached the bar and waited for the Grandmaster to leave a few coins for the barkeep before continuing their journey. He need not scold the children for losing track of their surroundings, they already knew they'd made a mistake and paid the price by backtracking several blocks. In the alley behind _The Leaky Cauldron_ Dragon placed a hand on the brick and ordered it open. The walls began to shift and fold to reveal the entrance to Diagon Alley.

Dragon couldn't help a sense of smugness. Society had become far too dependent on a wand in recent centuries, losing the ability to manipulate magic without a focus point. The Grandmaster ensured that James and Tess were not reliant on such archaic methods, using their bodies as their only focal point. The children would purchase the wands required by Hogwarts, but he doubted they would use them for anything less than the most powerful of spells and wards.

Dragon gestured to James and the boy produced parchment with the year's shopping list in dark ink. "I believe Madam Maulkin's will be our first stop. You both can be measured for robes and we will complete our other shopping while the order is completed." The children agreed and raced each other to the tiny shop. Still in no hurry, Dragon entered the store a few minutes later. The children were already being measured and offered various types of fabrics for their robes to be sewn from.

"All natural cotton, please, ma'am," James requested, polite as ever. Cotton, a muggle-woven fiber more expensive than the comparable wool due to goblin-imposed muggle-import costs, provided a stable medium for protective spells and potions. Hemp would be better but the substance's controversial existence in the muggle world made it harder to come by in the magical, especially in a general-wares establishment.

The seamstress, a buxom young woman in her late twenties, was startled by the request. "That is an expensive order, young man. Are you sure your guardian is okay with that amount?" she asked, gesturing to the Grandmaster seated in the front of the shop.

"Perfectly acceptable, madam. I expect both will grow during year, so please add any charms you think might be necessary to accommodate their needs this year as well." Dragon offered the woman a warm smile. He could tell from the slight wear on her robes and the ever so slight bump under her apron that she could use the extra commission on a large sale. Adding extra charms was an easy way to bump up the price, all while knowing the children would re-spell the fabric themselves later.

The woman nodded, hands shaking slightly. The commission on an order this size would nearly double her yearly salary, money she desperately needed in the wake of her unexpected pregnancy and single status. The Grandmaster placed his vault key near the counter so the woman could charge it to his vault when she completed her measurements. The keys given to James and Triss linked to the same account, giving the children a set allowance so they could learn about budgets, etc. The purchase being made today would max out their spending for the year, and he didn't feel like required school supplies should come out of their allowance.

Tess finished her measurements first, skipping through the glass door to wait for James and Dragon in the sunlight. '_She is remarkably happy despite her past traumas_,' Dragon observed. James made his leave a few minutes later with Dragon in toe. The seamstress agreed to owl their order to their homes when complete rather than come back in several days for a small charge Dragon was happy to pay the expecting witch.

Outside Triss spoke excitedly with an equally excited blond boy. "James!" she shouted, spotting her companion. "This is Draco Malfoy! He's a First Year, like us!"

"Hello," said James. The two shook hands and Triss continued bouncing in excitement. Dragon stayed in the background to observe the children's interaction with the blond boy and watch for potential social behaviors that would need correction. '_I should have sent them to etiquette lessons,'_ Dragon lamented.

"Draco is getting measured for his robes while his parents look at brooms!" Triss explained.

"What kind of broom?" James asked, neglecting to remind them that first years couldn't bring their own brooms.

'_Good boy,' _Dragon praised silently. Know-it-alls tended to be ostracized and that feeling in Dragon's gut was very insistent that the boy needed to fit in. '_This would be much easier if I could catch a glimpse of the future to help me mold the child.'_

"I want a Nimbus 2000 but my father wants me to wait for the 2001 coming out next year. That fool Dumbledore says First Years can't have brooms," Draco complained.

"…Who?" James asked. The name didn't sound familiar.

Draco eyed the two with suspicion. "Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts. Are you mudbloods?" the boy asked, the beginning of a sneer on his face.

"…Mudbloods?" Triss asked, still confused.

Dragon took this moment to step forward. "A mudblood is a derogatory name for a child born to parents without magic," he explained. "A term I'm sure will not be used in reference to my children again. Do you agree, young man?"

Draco looked back and forth between the Asian man and the Caucasian children he claimed as his own, unsure whether or not to agree. A hand on his shoulder startled him and he looked up to the cold, calculating blue eyes of his father. "Who are your friends, Draco?" Draco was lost for words. He'd never actually gotten their names.

"Grandmaster Shui Dragon," Dragon provided, offering the man a small bow. At four hundred and forty one years old there were some foreign customs he had no intentions of adopting. The 'Handshake' was one of them. "You are Lucius Malfoy." It wasn't a question.

The older blond man eyed the Asian man in disbelief and took a moment to reply. "It is a pleasure to meet you Grandmaster." Lucius offered a bow deeper than the Grandmaster, a sign of respect to the ancient wizard. "I hope you're enjoying a day out with your apprentices?"

"My children, James and Trisstessa," Dragon clarified. "They are too young to begin a formal apprenticeship and will be joining your son at Hogwarts in September."

Dragon could see the surprise in Lucius's eyes. "One would think they would attend The Academy in Shanghai or study at home," he commented, subtly implying that maybe the children weren't worth the Grandmaster's efforts.

"On the contrary, both have already learned everything I can safety teach them at this point in their magical development and The Academy does not accept pupils under the age of fifteen. Their choice to attend Hogwarts is strictly for cultural diversity and exposure to children their own age."

Lucius sneered at the ancient young man, jealous his own family never had the type of power required to attend The Academy or apprentice under a Grandmaster, and that attendance to the best school in Europe was simply to pass the years before apprenticeship for the two children. "I'm sure they will be very happy during their stay. It was a pleasure to meet you, sir, but we really must be going. Good day to you all. Come, Draco." Lucius swept passed the small family, escorting his son into the robe shop for fittings.

"That was odd," James observed, feeling uneasy. Something about the man felt familiar, but not in a good sense.

"The Malfoys are an old family, most of which are odd," Dragon agreed, turning in the direction of Ollivander's Wand Shop. "Our next stop should be wands. Many of your professors will require the use of the focus device for basic spells, so you will need one of the upcoming year." Both children grumbled, unhappy with the idea of using a piece of equipment meant to help small children draw out their magic or as a focal point for spells too powerful for the body to channel.

The inside of the shop was musty and everything was covered with a thick layer of dust. Triss sneezed twice before clearing the offending particles away with a tap of her finger on the mahogany counter. The sudden disappearance of cloud-bunnies drew Ollivander's attention from his workbench and he greeted the three with a smile.

"It has been many years since a Grandmaster graced my shop. It is an honor," Ollivander offered the Asian man a deep bow which was returned, though still not as deep. "I must admit, I am not sure I can fulfill your needs today. Staffs have grown out of fashion in the recent centuries; I keep very few on hand. We cou-"

"The children are to begin at Hogwarts on the first of September. They will need wands for their coursework," Dragon interrupted. He couldn't help but feel annoyed that so many had forgotten the old ways and assumed the children were apprenticed. Apprenticeships could not begin until a child's power-core stabilized, normally around the age of fifteen; sometimes later in more powerful Magi.

Ollivander did not mask his surprise but still made quick work of measuring the children. An enchanted tape measure fluttered around Triss and then James, making measurements that confused the children yet seemed to make sense to the elderly man. He set a small pile of wands before the two and offered the first to Triss. "Birch and unicorn hair, eight inches and perfect for enchanting work."

Triss fingered the wand with distaste at being forced to use a children's toy. She waved it with the intention of casting another cleaning charm when it was plucked from her grasp. "Hey!"

A new wand quickly replaced the first. Then another. Then another. More than a dozen wands later Ollivander produced a sleek, purple-grey wand from beneath his workstation. "Eleven and a quarter inches, blue mahoe with a Phoenix core." Triss took the wand in hand again, attempting to cast. Bright, crackling blue sparks shot from the wand. The petite girl shrieked at the sudden noise and dropped the stick in surprise.

Ollivander laughed and retrieved the fallen wand. "A good match for a young metamorphmagus. Of course this wand is one of a pair. Mr. Cage, please give this one a wave." Ollivander produced another sleek wand, this one more blue-grey than purple. James took the wand in hand and felt its warmth spread through his fingers. "A good match, Mr. Cage. Eleven and a half inches, from the same blue mahoe as Ms. Summer's wand. The Phoenix core is from the mate of the Phoenix that provided the feather for Ms. Summer's wand. These wands are deeply connected, ideal for soul mates."

James and Triss eyed each other and made a face to convey their disgust. Soul mates? Yuck! The old wand maker and Grandmaster chuckled, each aware the children would change their minds as they grew older. If not for each other, then for other hormone driven teenagers.

"This should cover the cost, Mr. Ollivander. I appreciate your services and bid you a good day."

The three left the musty shop, two now weighed down by an unfamiliar length of wood. "I believe they make some sort of holster, and most robes have an area designed to store a wand so you don't have to hold it all the time."

The children opted to keep the wands in the boxes until September since they weren't really necessary and there was nowhere to store it in their muggle clothes. Robes were another item that would only be donned when required. Though Dragon was comfortable in the flowing fabric both children felt restricted during play and often snagged and tore the loose fabric.

Textbooks followed their wand purchase, in addition to potion supplies and other required oddities. Both muggle-raised to a point, the children opted to use muggle writing instruments to avoid the complications of inkwells and quill sharpening.

"The letter says we may bring an owl, toad or cat! Can I have a cat?" Triss asked, nearly vibrating with excitement. Dragon nodded his consent, though cats were not his favorite animal. "What about you Jamie? Which one do you want?"

"I don't really like any of them. I will look, but I don't think I'll get anything." James shrugged. He liked cats well enough but didn't really want to care for one. They already had an owl and toads… why toads?

The inside of Magical Menagerie was like many of the buildings in Diagon Alley: poorly lit and musty. Rows of owls, cats and toads took up the front of the store, all popular during the Hogwarts rush. James wandered further back to look at the exotic birds, puppies, gerbils, fish, and various reptiles while Triss explored the cats and kittens. A small, all-black snake caught his eye. The animal was thin and its scales were dull. '_She must be preparing to shed,'_ James thought. Then she spoke.

'_Ssssooo hungry. Nooo food. Noooo waterrrrr. Ssssooo cold_.'

James felt his body propel into motion, his natural _Saving People_ instinct overpowering years of being taught to _think before you act_. The top of the terrarium came off and the snake found a warm spot in his hands. The tiny, bunched up animal wasn't bigger than a baseball despite easily measuring half a meter. Rather than the coiled strength of a well-adapted predator James could only feel brittle bones and dry skin and it made him _angry._

Dragon, drawn by the buzz in the air, met James at the counter. The sales associate, a portly older witch with greying hair sat behind the counter reading a copy of Witch Weekly. She glanced up as James approached and her eyes narrowed on the dull ball of black in his hands.

"Child, put that down! It's venomous!" The witch withdrew her wand, aiming to levitate the dangerous creature out of the silly child's hands.

Dragon waved his hand and the woman's wand disappeared from her grasp and reappeared between his fingers. "I would appreciate you not pointing a wand at my son, madam," he began, his tone as courteous and polite as ever. The woman seemed lost for words, alternately making gasping sounds and frantically pointing at the boy's hand. "I see. I believe he has a very good reason for handling a potentially dangerous reptile?" Dragon turned to James and waited for an explanation. It wasn't like the child to purposefully endanger himself by handling hazardous reptiles. Jumping from trees to see if he could stop himself from hitting the ground was a little more his style.

James ran a finger over the snake's dull, dry scales. "They are starving her. She keeps asking for a mouse and water and sunlight and I am going to help her." Dragon sighed. Trust the boy to have a soft heart for dangerous creatures… not that Dragon approved of starving a helpless animal either.

The shopkeeper's eyes widened, immediately understanding how the boy would know the snake was being mistreated. "Out! Get out! Parselmouths are _evil_ and I will not have one in my store. Out!" The woman tried to look intimidating but quickly realized her wand was still in Dragon's hand.

Dragon, already irritated by the crowds and the woman's attitude, drew up his full height and a deadly stare. "I do not believe you are in any position to make demands, ma'am," he growled. Her wand was now grasped in both hands and the woman could see how easily it would crack if he chose to apply pressure.

For many witches and wizards a wand is like an appendage. Unlike an appendage, a wand could be replaced but it would never feel quite right again. The shopkeeper was acutely aware of that fact as she watched the young Asian man roll her wand between his fingers. "You don't understand! We aren't starving it! Rainbow Vipers are vicious beasts! It snaps and tries to escape whenever we feed it, so we've just been going longer between feedings," she explained. "Though I'm sure a cretin like you has nothing to fear from that creature."

James felt frustration and anger. He wanted to curse the woman over and over until she felt the same pain the reptile in his hands experienced. Of course an animal kept in deplorably conditions and starved would snap and try to escape! His fingers twitched and the woman's greying hair morphed at the roots. Thin, algae covered seaweed sprouted from her scalp and her skin seemed to glint in the candle light, a side effect of her new scales.

Dragon sighed again and gave the boy a disapproving sideways glace. James flushed, his eyes downcast. He felt ashamed at the loss of control since most children grew out of accidental magic long before puberty but at the same time… the shopkeeper deserved it. "James, please take your new pet and wait outside." James did as he was told, ignoring the objections of the shopkeeper.

Dragon interrupted the woman's tirade. "Madam, I see this situation ending one of two ways. Either you can let the boy take the snake and care for it as only _his gift_ will allow or I can report you to the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures. I am very certain the Ministry would be curious as to why this establishment has a restricted, very rare magical animal without the proper permit?"

The woman's mouth opened, then snapped shut. '_Oh no, I forgot about the permit!' _

Dragon placed five gold coins on the counter; he was very aware the woman now had no room to argue with him.

Trisstessa, attracted by the commotion at the register, watched the scene all while clutching a tiny black kneazle. She wanted the kitten badly but after witnessing the display at the counter she didn't feel like she could ask. Disappointed, she intended to return the animal when Dragon's voice reached her.

"I feel five galleons will cover the cost of the snake and the kitten my daughter is holding. I bid you good day, madam." Dragon turned on his heel and swept out of the store with Triss skipping behind him. James fell in line as Dragon led them down the alley, encouraging the snake to eat a pre-killed mouse he'd swiped from the shop.

The snake weakly took the meal from James's fingers, very careful not to bite her savior. People on the street didn't seem to notice the boy walking among them with a dangerous predator and even James didn't feel the subtle Notice-Me-Not cast over him. As angry as he was over the boy's actions Dragon felt the need to protect his child from the damaging opinions of this biased, backwards community.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: An interesting article on why it is so difficult to catch your own errors/typos. www . wired . 2014/08/wuwt-typos/ Just add in the com /**

**Hopefully everyone is enjoying this rewrite. I'm trying to fix some of the things wrong with the previous version and taking into account some of the feedback on the original. Let me know what you think. Thanks! **

In the weeks leading up to September 1st James spent hours researching and brewing potions for his new companion, aptly named Sapphire after the deep blue of her silted eyes. Per James's translation the poor animal had been restricted to one mouse every other week, inadequate for a growing, magical reptile. Dragon and Triss both helped James with locating nutrition potions that could be safely administered to a snake and James brewed daily. Still a little underweight, Sapphire shed her previously dull skin revealing shiny, black scales that reflected a rainbow of colors under the proper lighting.

During the time James was busy tending to Sapphire Triss spent time playing with Jewel. Initially the kneazle was confused by her human-turned-kitten but quickly adapted to the situation and provided Triss with the companionship she desperately craved.

While the two children were busy with their new pets, plus whatever tasks were assigned by the Grandmaster, Dragon had plenty of time to research the origins of James Cage. So far he had turned up next to nothing. The only reference he found to the Cage family was an article dated several days after James came to Water House.

The simple, two-paragraph article summarized the demise of the Cage family after a fire broke out in their London home. The bodies of Alexander, Emma and James Cage were recovered from the home and there was no suspicion of foul play. Except that one of the causalities named in the article sat just a few rooms away. _"Who does the extra body belong to?"_

Dragon tried to discuss his findings with the child but James lacked interest. "You and Triss are my family," he replied every time Dragon mentioned visiting his parent's graves or letting the muggle world know he survived the fire. Dragon suspected the boy was not telling him something but knew the child would shut him out completely if pushed. Even years later Dragon didn't know what events led the boy to his care and James insisted he couldn't remember. Whether or not that was true… Dragon wasn't sure.

IIIIIIIIIIIIIIII

Trisstessa grew lonely while James cared for Sapphire, even with the sole attention of her new furry companion. The two were set to leave for Hogwarts tomorrow. Triss knew it was very possible they could be sorted into separate houses and rarely see each other so she wanted some quality time with her partner-in-crime while she could still get it.

"Come on James, it's just a few hours at the park. Sapphire has her heat lamp and Dragon said we didn't have to study anymore until we get to Hogwarts. Please?" Triss dragged out the last word because she knew James always gave in when she begged.

James sighed. He didn't want to leave his scaly companion while she was still fragile, but he'd also been neglecting his friend. The girl had been remarkably patient, rarely bothering him for play in the weeks since they'd returned from Diagon Alley. Surely he could afford to spend some time with her before they left?

"Okay Triss, we can go to the park," he agreed. He traced a small pattern on the top of the terrarium, creating a small ward around Sapphire to let him know if she needed him for something. Currently she slept; full from the mouse and potion he'd made her eat.

"Thank you Jamie!" Triss yelled, skipping out of the room with high spirits.

"Don't call me that!" James replied, following the perky girl.

The walk to the park was a short one. A group of teenagers sat on the swings smoking cigarettes and the two children decided to steer clear, opting for the jungle gym on the opposite side of the park. James was the first to climb to the top slip between the crossing bars so that he could swing upside down. Triss joined him moments later, laughing at how their hair stood up on end.

The teenagers were obviously drawn by their laughter because it was only a few minutes before the upside down children spotted the group headed their way. "Should we go?" asked Triss, disappointed their outing would be cut short in order to avoid trouble.

"I guess so, they don't look like they want to play Go Seek," James replied.

In one fluid motion Triss reached up, grabbed the bars, freed her legs and dropped into a standing position. James attempted to do the same but his hands catching on a bar still damp from the early morning dew. As his feet came loose he lost his grip and fell. The back of his head struck the mulched dirt with a mighty crack.

"James?" Triss screeched when James didn't immediately climb to his feet. The approaching teenagers looked at each other, uneasy, before making the choice to disappear in another direction. No way they needed the drama of getting blamed for knocking some snot-nosed kid off the jungle gym.

Triss, worried about her companion, waved her hand in their air in a circle. A shape appeared in the middle of her hand-created vortex, soon forming a lithe panther. "Get Dragon!" she ordered, still crouched at James's head. She dare not move him because Dragon once explained it was dangerous to move someone with a possible head, neck or back injury. The panther disappeared to deliver his message, all the while Triss held James's hand and cried.

In the few minutes it took Dragon to arrive on scene James still hadn't opened his eyes. "He struck his head?" Dragon asked urgently, a hand already casting diagnostics over the boy's limp form. James's skin took on a white glow, indicating there was no internal damage. Relief washed over Dragon but he was still puzzled. "He didn't fall far. How did he hit his head hard enough to lose conciousess?" Dragon placed a hand on either of James's temples with the same result. "No concussion, no brain hemorrhage, no swelling…" Dragon said, mostly to himself. Unsure of what the cause could be, he used the most obvious solution. He conjured a glass of ice water and poured it over the boy's head.

James shot upright, sputtering. "Wha-? Dragon! Oh, my head." James clutched his forehead, using his palms to cover his eyes.

"Where does your head hurt?" Dragon asked, covering the boy's hands with his own.

"Everywhere! It's so bright!" James screamed. He was in agony, his skull felt like it was being pried apart and the swirling colors made him dizzy.

Alarmed, Dragon forced the boy's head into his lap while casting as many analgesic spells as his old mind could conjure. Nothing seemed to help and the boy started screaming in earnest, thrashing while clawing at his own eyes. "James, stop!" Dragon yelled, trying to pin the boy's arms before he damaged his eyes. 'His eyes!' Using one arm to pin the boy Dragon placed his hand over both of the child's eyes. A simple blindness spell and the boy's screaming and thrashing came to an abrupt end.

"Oh my god, what's happening to him?" Triss asked. Her face was red and puffy and she looked terrified in a way Dragon hadn't seen since he'd suggested she return to her father.

Dragon thought about it for another moment, sure of his diagnosis but unwilling to jump to conclusions. "James, does you head still hurt?"

The boy shook his head in the negative. "But I can't see."

"A simple blindness spell, nothing permanent. You said everything was bright, did you see anything specific causing the brightness? Colors?" Dragon still had a hand pressed to the boy's eyes, maintaining the blindness spell.

"Gold, like staring right at the sun. It hurt."

Dragon nodded. "I see… I believe the blow to your head unlocked an ability to see magical auras. It is rare, but not unheard of. It isn't particularly helpful in most cases. I can cast a spell to blind you specifically to the auras, or you can try to block them out." Personally Dragon thought the spell was the better option so James wouldn't be using precious concentration to block it out all the time.

"Spell." James requested and Dragon ruffled his hair. Smart boy.

A hand still placed over James's eyes, Dragon chanted just under his breath and when he removed his hand James's vision was restored, free of the gold that had blinded him moments before. "Better?" Dragon asked, pulling the boy from the ground.

James nodded. "Thank you."

"Just doing what a good parent does." Dragon ruffled the boy's hair a second time and made his escape. No doubt James would spend a few minutes comforting Triss, and while Dragon loved the girl like his own he was not suited to comforting a crying girl.

True to Dragon's prediction, it took a few minutes and a blast of cold water to the face for Triss to calm down. "What if you died?" she demanded. "The only reason Dragon keeps me is because of you! If something happens to you then he'll send me right back to my father!" At this point James decided an icy burst of water to Triss's face was the best way to stop her tirade and it did.. except that she immediately took offense and tackled him.

They wrestled for a few minutes, sticking to human form in this public space. Finally James got the better of the small girl, using an arm bar to put the girl's face in the dirt. "Okay, okay! You win!" she yelled, tapping the dirt with her free hand.

Laughing, James let her go. She rolled into a sitting position, pouting at the older, larger boy. "I don't think you have anything to worry about," James offered, patting Triss on the head as he sat next to her. The park overlooked a small, fenced off lake and the two had a good view from their spot. "Even if something did happen to me, Dragon knows what your dad did and would never send you back there." James wrapped an arm around Triss's shoulders, pulling her close.

Triss allowed the contact, eyes far away and thinking of her father. "You know my dad thought he was doing the right thing when he held me under?" she asked. "He really thought that I was possessed by a demon that would change my hair and my face and that killing the demon would free my soul. I know it's different now that I'm older, I can protect myself but I always have this fear that he's going to jump out and try to drown me again. I can't even swim or take a bath without looking around for him." Triss shivered under James's embrace and he could do little but rub her arm.

He did know that even years later Triss was terrified she would be sent back to her father if James or Dragon tired of her. It was true that initially Dragon had only allowed her to stay because James insisted on it, but she had grown on the ancient man and he would no sooner return her to her abusive father than he would turn James over to an orphanage now that they knew his parents were dead. James had always suspected as much, but without any memory of the night he'd arrived at Water House he could never be sure.

"You know Dragon loves you like his daughter. He doesn't show it all the time because he still doesn't quite know how to act around girls. All those years in the mountains with only guys will do that to you," James teased. Triss laughed but knew she'd always feel uneasy about her living situation. Some wounds would never heal.

"Are you excited about Hogwarts?" she asked, changing the subject.

"I am. It'll be nice to hang out with some people our own age and learn about magic from the western perspective. Maybe play some Quidditch next year. Are you?"

"Kind of. I'm excited about that stuff too, but I'm also afraid we will be sorted into different houses and won't ever get to see each other," Triss admitted.

James laughed. "I'm going to be sorted first. Just tell the hat you want to go where I go. Or we can both agree right now on what house we want to go into," he suggested.

Triss laughed. "We both know you belong in Slytheirn. You talk to snakes and you're sly as a fox. Salazar all the way. I have my moments, but I'm not sure it'll be enough to get me into the snake house. I think I'm more of a badger…"

"We could always split the difference and go to Gryffindor?" James tried not to laugh at the absurdity of their conversation. He couldn't really understand why the school was broken down into houses based on traits. Putting like with like made sense, but that would mean a lot more than four houses.

"All that red would give me a headache." Triss stuck out her tongue in distaste.

"We will both aim for Hufflepuff then?"

Triss snorted. "I don't think either of us are truly suited to that house. I don't want to say they're push overs but…"

"Keep in mind that a house is just a title. Where we are sorted doesn't determine who we are," James reminded. "I think Slytherin would be the best bet for both of us. We both like green, you have a sneaky streak a mile wide and I can chat with the mascot… a win-win. Unless you want to house with a bunch of people that study all the time?"

"No, thank you," Triss answered. Her tension eased some. They would both be in Slytherin if at all possible. If not, Dragon wouldn't force them to stay if they were miserable without each other. 'Would James be miserable without me?'

"Stop it Triss. You know I'm only going to Hogwarts because you want to go. If you don't like it, we will come home. It is as simple as that."

Triss nodded. She was still apprehensive, but she trusted James to watch out for her like he'd always done.

IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII

September 1st came very early in the morning even though they didn't live far from the train station. Dragon insisted both children pack the night before but both still had various odds and ends to take care of before they could leave. Crating Jewel, packing away Sapphire's terrarium, and loading everything into Dragon's car, and so on. While not the preferred method of travel, it was far easier to move two children and their luggage in a vehicle than by floo or apparition.

At Kings Cross Dragon used some fancy spell work to make a parking space appear out of thin air. It took a lot of pushing, pulling and creative piling to make their luggage fit onto a single trolley, but finally the small family reached platform 9 ¾ with a record fifteen minutes to spare. The platform was busy as expected with parents and siblings seeing off their Hogwarts students or helping them load a year's worth of luggage onto the train. After a proper goodbye and a few tears from Triss, Dragon did them one better. A sharp tap and their trunks sprouted long, hairy spider legs and followed the two into the train. A few people shrieked at the sight of mobilized spider-trunks and were quick to move out of the way which gave James and Triss a good laugh.

The spider-trunks followed the two children through the train as they searched for an empty compartment, finally finding one in the last car. "Up there," James directed and the two spider trunks used their legs to climb into the overhead storage where they would stay for a majority of the trip. The whistle for departure sounded. Both children sat at the window and waved at their ancient guardian as they passed and Dragon waved back.

Seated again after the train was free of the station James turned his attention to Triss. "We're on our way to Hogwarts. Let the adventure begin?"


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: I fixed some of the errors in Chapter 4 for the sticklers out there and fixed the link at the top of that chapter as well. I haven't had time to proof Chapters 1-3 but will get there. Again, it's very difficult to see you own mistakes and I'm at peace with that. Enjoy and let me know what you think! Thanks for reading! **

"So… this is boring," Triss observed. Twenty minutes had passed since the Hogwarts Express left King's Cross and no other students had joined the children in their compartment. James, laying across one of the bench seats and using his coat as a pillow, was busy reading a crisp, new copy of _Jurassic Park_. Triss poked his shoulder with her shoe. "James?"

"Grab a book Triss, it's going to be a long trip," James responded, flipping a page.

Triss huffed, arms crossed and wrinkling the white blouse of her Hogwarts uniform. "We are supposed to be making friends! We can't do that if you're reading that book the whole way!" she insisted, her tone just on the edge of whiney.

James sighed, closed his book and sat up. "Okay… want to go exploring?"

Triss beamed, leapt to her feet and shot out the compartment door before James had time to stand. He followed, far less enthusiastic than the shape-shifter. 'We are going to be stuck with these people for the rest of the year. Can't we make friends later?'

The hallway of the train car way busy and James had to be careful not to knock over any of the smaller students pushing their way in the opposite direction. He could see Triss several doors up, chatting enthusiastically with a chubby blond boy. As James squeezed through various students embracing and high-fiving their long-lost classmates he clipped the shoulder of a boy slightly taller than himself.

The older boy immediately rounded on the First Year and pushed James against the wall of the train. "Wath where yer goin!" the boy lisped, a product of crooked teeth, under bite and maybe a touch of troll blood. His brown eyes swept over James, noting his dark hair, the scar on his forehead and the black tie of an unsorted first-year. "A lithle old to be ah firshie aren't ye?" the older boy asked. He traced the knot on James's tie with one of his nail-bitten fingers.

James quickly grew uncomfortable with the older boy's contact and pushed him away. "I'm eleven like all the other First Years, thank you," James replied, pulling his shirt back into place and straightening his tie.

A small crowd gathered around the two students, most shocked that a First Year would shove a much larger Fifth Year, especially if that Fifth Year was the imposing Marcus Flint. Flint was also shocked and took several seconds to recover against the compartment door he was shoved into. Glancing left and right the boy-troll realized he had an audience and flushed crimson. In a split second he was snarling in James's face and using the boy's tie to hold him against the wall of the train. "Futhing runth, I'll teath you to shov-ack!" Flint mouth opened and closed, trying to continue firing empty threats at the smaller boy but could only utter choked whimpering sounds after James's knee came into contact with Flint's genitals. Every male student in the growing crowd winced as James pushed Flint away a second time. The troll-boy dropped to his knees, then to his side cupping his injured anatomy, his eyes watering and whimpering pitifully.

An unspoken rule among men states that hitting below the belt is strictly off limits but Dragon had raised both children to exploit their opponent's weakness and social norms often meant little to the Grandmaster if ignoring them resulted in the desired outcome. Satisfied that the older boy would remain incapacitated for an extended period James simply stepped over Flint and pushed an exit through the gathered spectators.

IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII

Triss had long since disappeared down the car, oblivious to the trouble James found himself in. Peeking through compartment window after compartment window James eventually found the shape-shifting girl sitting in a compartment two cars up and enjoying a chocolate frog with a chubby blond boy, a frizzy haired brunette, a nervous boy clutching a toad and a brilliantly ginger boy.

"James!" Triss greeted. Her eyes were lit to a shade of blue James had never seen, conveying exactly how excited she was to be seated among her peers. He felt a pang of something in his chest. Disappointment? "Everyone this is my friend, James! James, meet Neville Longbottom, Hermione Granger, Ron Weasley and Harry Potter!" Triss motioned to each of the children, allowing James a chance to assign their name to their face.

"It's a pleasure to meet you," the blond boy, Harry, greeted. Like most people, his hazel eyes flashed up to the prominent scar on James's forehead before moving to the rest of his face. James did not take offense. The peculiar shape and just-healed pinkness of the mark always drew the fascinated attention of people wanting to know the story behind it.

"You as well. You're all First Years?" James asked, trying to be polite. He was still a little confused about the tightness forming in his chest at watching his best, and really only friend interacting with other children.

"Sure are!" the redhead, Ron, answered. An awkward silence nearly descended on the group but Triss, a blossoming social butterfly, saved the conversation. "Is everyone excited for the sorting?"

The already pale redhead turned a slight shade of green and the brunette, Hermione, took the opportunity to answer. "I am! I've read all about the different Houses, but no one seems to know how you're sorted. I couldn't find anything about it in Hogwarts, A History." The frizzy strands of her hair appeared to droop with her disappointment.

"My older brothers said you have to wrestle a troll," Ron piped in, the green tone of his skin now making more sense.

James and Triss shared a look, both conveying their confusion. While never a student of Hogwarts the Grandmaster knew enough about the ancient castle to tell the children what to expect. It was surprising that these children, probably with alumni parents, did not know about the Sorting Hat. "Uh… your parents didn't tell you?" Triss probed.

Harry Potter shook his head. "My mom and stepdad said it is tradition to be surprised when you arrive at the castle."

James laughed. "It'll be a good surprise for you all then!"

"Wait, you know?" Hermione nearly screeched in excitement.

The tall boy nodded. "Sure. Our father didn't go to Hogwarts but he knows a fair amount of the history behind the school and told us what to expect. I guess he didn't get the Secret Sorting memo?"

"You're siblings?" Hermione asked at the same time Ron asked, "What's a memo?"

James and Triss shared another confused look. 'Are other wizards really that sheltered from the rest of the world?' James wondered.

"A memo is a muggle form of communication in offices. And James and I are both adopted, but we've never really thought of ourselves as brother and sister," Triss shrugged. "James was adopted when he was five and I was adopted when I was eight so we might have just been too old to think that way."

Harry and Hermione looked thoughtful. "It's very lucky you both turned out to be magical then. My aunt was really jealous of my mom's magic when they were younger. Did your father go to one of the other schools?" Harry asked.

"Our father is a Grandmaster, so he was mostly self taught in a Tibetan Monastery. He did help found The Academy in Shanghai, but he was never a student. I think one of his first apprentices was once a Hogwarts student though, so that's how he knows so much about it." 'At least, I think that's how,' Triss thought to herself.

Hermione looked fit to burst while the three boys just looked confused. "That is so interesting! Grandmasters are very rare; you are so lucky you live with one! Harry's parents are both Hogwarts Professors, but a real Grandmaster?" Hermione placed a hand on her heart in a mock faint.

"Hey, my stepdad is the youngest Potions Master in nearly four-hundred years!" Harry defended. "And mom is a Charms prodigy!"

"Hahaha, it sounds like you've got some at-home talent as well!" Triss observed.

Hermione blushed. "Lily and Sev have been very strict about the Underage Magic rules in the house. To this point Harry and I have only been allowed to look at theory," she explained with a shrug.

"That's my mom and dad too. Said I'll be getting to do plenty of magic at Hogwarts," the shy, quiet boy named Neville added. Ron nodded in agreement.

"What houses do you think you'll be in?" James asked.

"Ron and Neville's families have been Gryffindors as far back as anyone can remember. Both of my parents were Gryffindors, but my stepdad is the Head of Slytherin. Hermione will probably be a Ravenclaw with the way she devours books," Harry teased. Hermione stuck out her tongue in response while Ron grumbled something like 'slimy Slytherins'. "What about you?"

"We were both thinking we'll be in Slytherin, but I think we'd be happy anywhere so long as we're together," Triss responded, resting her head on James's higher shoulder. Ron's ears were a little red and both could tell he wasn't fond of the Snake House.

"What houses were your birth parents in?" Hermione asked. Obviously for two magical children to end up with a wizard, their families must have been magical. Right?

"I don't really know much about my birth parents. I just appeared on my father's doorstep when I was five due to accidental magic and we didn't find out until recently that they died in some kind of fire. Triss's parents were muggles, but she's a shape-shifter so everyone thought she'd be better off with a magical family," James explained. He didn't think these strangers really needed to know about Triss's father.

Hermione nodded, sympathetic. "I understand. Harry's aunt Petunia saw me do accidental magic at my parent's Dental Practice when I was really little and saw how baffled my parents were. She called her sister and Lily explained what was happening and tried to help with my outbursts. When my mom and dad were killed in a car crash Lily and Sev took me in." The girl's eyes watered slightly, but the boys were polite, and uncomfortable, enough to not notice.

"I'm so sorry to hear about your parents." Triss lightly patted the girl on the knee, not really knowing what else to do.

Hermione cracked a small smile. "It's okay. I still miss them but it was a long time ago." Silence descended on the compartment once again, but this time is was Ron that assured the silence didn't sour.

"Fancy a game of Exploding Snap?"

IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII

***SNAP***

"Ouch!" Triss shouted, frantically waving her hand in the air to cool her blistered fingers. "That hurt! What kind of game is this?"

All of the First Years laughed at their unfortunate new friend since she'd successfully avoided exploding cards until now. Ron and Harry both had soot on their skin and in their hair, Neville was missing an eyebrow, and like Triss, both Hermione and James had burns on their hands.

"It's part of the fun! And don't worry about the burns. I'm sure my mom can heal them when we get to the castle. We just have to steer clear of my stepdad, he'd let us suffer for being 'blithering dunderheads'." Harry's voice was full of affection but also held a hint of annoyance.

Triss and James laughed, familiar with that parenting tactic. "Dragon does that to us sometimes. If we get hurt doing something silly we have to live with it or figure out how to heal it. Lucky I've burned my fingers on the stove a few times. Can I see your fingers, Mione?" Triss held her blister-free hand out for the brunette's painfully red fingers.

The girl hesitated. "What are you going to do?"

"Just a healing spell. Seems silly to make you wait until you reach the castle when James or I could fix you now, isn't it?" Triss made another motion for the girls and Hermione cautiously allowed Triss to examine the open, oozing blisters.

"Are you sure you know what you're doing?" Hermione asked. She was fighting the urge to yank her hand away from untrained hands, but also reminded herself this girl lived with one of the Legendary Grandmasters. She had to have learned some magic under his roof.

"Of course I know what I'm doing. Just be very still, this will feel a little odd." Holding the burned witch's hand at the wrist Triss took a deep breath and blew on the angry wounds.

"Oh!" Hermione shouted as a burst of cool air brushed her exposed nerves. Looking closely Hermione would see small, sparkling ice crystals forming on Triss's breath, swirling through the air and landing on her burnt fingers. The coolness spread down her fingertips, across her palm and up her wrist, like dipping her hand in cool water. As the coolness spread the redness gave way to pale pink and finally unblemished white skin. Hermione slowly pulled her hand back, examining it in awe.

"That's amazing!" Harry shouted. Seated next to Hermione and across from Triss he had the best view to examine the healed phalanges aside from Hermione herself.

"How'd you do that without a wand?" Hermione asked, breathless.

Triss's expression turned sour. "In Asia wands are only granted to children as toys to help them access their magic when they're very small or used for really powerful spells when you're older. Dragon decided we were too old to learn magic with a child's toy but not old enough for the advanced stuff so I've never actually used one. The wands we had to buy for school are in our trunks." Triss motioned to the two spider-legged trunks clinging to the roof of the train.

After an hour of sitting in their first compartment alone, the trunks wandered the train in search of their owners. Ron shrieked like a banshee when one of the two chests pushed the door open and both scurried across the compartment and up the far wall to settle on the roof.

"I've never heard that before, I've always read that a wand is required to do magic," Hermione mumbled, still examining her hand.

Triss shrugged. "Outside of professional casters, wands are the tools of children and lazy or weak wizards. It's kind of like using a calculator to multiply numbers instead of doing it in you head." Triss explained.

"Uh… what's a calcamater?" Neville asked. James was unnerved by how quiet the boy was.

"A _calculator_ is an object muggles use to do math, normally with big numbers not easily computed without writing them out." Hermione turned from Neville to Triss. "Doesn't that mean it is better to do more complex spells with a wand?"

Triss shook her head but James answered. "Not exactly. A wand is more like a four-function calculator. It makes addition and multiplication fast and easy but you can't do anything more advanced than that with it. Learning to do math by hand is harder, but there's no limit to what you can do once you understand how it is done. As Triss said, wands were never intended to be used by adult wizards unless they weren't strong enough to do magic without it or the sheer power of the spell is too much for their body. Schools like Hogwarts popularized the use and the more complex method slowly started dying out. Before that if you had to have a wand to do basic magic you were considered a… what was the word Dragon used? I think it was squid, but I'm not sure if there is a Western equivil-." James was cut off as Neville stood and nearly sprinted from the compartment.

Hermione, whose face had grown darker during James's explanation, was only a heartbeat behind the boy and Ron only a few steps behind her. The remaining three occupants stood silent for a moment, James and Triss a little shocked at the boy's sudden departure. "Is he okay?" James asked.

Harry's hazel eyes moved from the compartment door and narrowed on James and Triss. "Neville's parents thought he was a _squib_ until he got his Hogwarts letter a few weeks ago. He is scared Hogwarts made a mistake and he won't be allowed to stay if he can't make a wand work, and telling him a wand is really only a child's toy really upset him. I think you may need to go back to your compartment or he'll get upset all over again when they bring him back." It was phrased as a suggestion but by the tone both children knew it was time to leave.

"We understand. We'll see you at the sorting?" Triss asked. Harry gave a curt nod but James suspected it was more out of politeness than an invitation to join them later.

A few minutes and a few shrieks from the students seeing the mobilized spider trunks for the first time, James and Triss were back in their still-empty compartment. "Well… that didn't go very well, did it?"


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: One of the reviewers made a point about Dragon, and they're right. I fixed it. I would also like to take a moment to discuss magical theory. All living creatures have their own magic, some more than others. It stands to reason that dragon-hide is spell resistant due to a high concentration of magic in the animal. It also stands to reason that a sheep would have more inherent magic than a plant, making the wool from a sheep a less stable medium than cotton or hemp. **

**Why is cotton more expensive than wool? It has to be imported from the muggle world, and we know how the goblins are about jacking up prices. I understand that wool would make more sense in a cold environment, but if you're enchanting the fabric to your specifications does it really matter? Thanks for reading everyone! As always, I try to respond to reviews and PMs as often as possible. Let me know what you think! **

Professor Lily Evans smiled sadly and delicately rubbed her belly, her actions reflected in her full-length bedroom mirror. The dark fabric of her robes helped conceal the expanding bump from every angle but the side so there would be no hiding it from the students. It wasn't that Lily was upset about her latest pregnancy, actually quite the opposite. She was ecstatic to bring a child into the world with a man that loved her like no other. Her anxiety lied in the fact that all of her previous pregnancies, with the exception of the first, had failed within the first trimester. Losing a pregnancy so close to the end and with hundreds of students playing witness to her failure… Lily shuttered.

A pair of strong, pale arms wound their way under hers and two large hands found a resting place on either side of the bump. She leaned her head to the side, allowing her husband access to place soft kisses on her neck. "Why so sad, my love?" he asked, his voice low and silky and sending shivers down her spine.

"Just worried, Sev," she answered, placing her small hands over his large ones and leaning back into his larger frame. The baby chose that moment to kick and brought a smile to the face of both parents.

"I believe," he drawled, "that was Baby S reminding you that he is a fighter and will be depriving us of sleep very soon."

Lily laughed, finding comfort in the arms of her husband. "You may be right, _she_ has been very active the last week or so. I just can't help worrying. None of the others made it past twelve weeks, and here she is with just over twelve weeks left. I just don't think I could stand to lose her this close to term."

Sev sighed and placed another kiss on his wife's neck. "The Healer said the baby is healthy and if the pregnancy was going to fail it probably would have already. I don't think we have anything to worry about. Even Harry is getting excited about a little brother or sister."

Lily echoed her husband's sigh, but not for the same reason. Harry. Harry Potter who really wasn't Harry Potter at all, but a child she stole in the hopes it would save her son from the delusions of a madman. In the end it hadn't mattered, the madman had found her son and murdered him anyway. All over a prophecy that died when Voldemort tore himself apart trying to split his soul one too many times with the blood of her son.

"You have that look on your face again," Sev observed.

Lily was confused. "What look?"

"The one where you look torn between tears and rage. I've known you forever Lily, I can see that you're in pain but you won't tell me why." She could hear the hurt and frustration in his voice and it made her sad, but she couldn't share her secret. He would never look at her the same again.

"I love you Sev." She turned in his embrace, stood on the tips of her toes and placed a gentle kiss on her husband's lips. "Lets go. It's almost time for the sorting. I don't want to miss Harry and Hermione seeing the Great Hall for the first time."

Sev placed a hand on Lily's knee and rubbed slow circles on her kneecap. The sad and angry look on her face had been replaced with a brilliant smile, the one that made him fall in love with her all those years ago. The intense emerald of her eyes sparkled as Minerva strode down the hall with a gaggle of awed first years in toe and both parent's eyes were drawn to the grinning faces of their son and foster daughter. "Do you remember what it was like looking at the enchanted ceiling the first time?" Lily whispered, her hand placed high on his thigh as she leaned in to talk to him.

"I believe I was too busy watching your reaction to look myself," Sev teased, his hand covering hers and linking their fingers together. The Headmaster, Albus Dumbledore, watched the display with a pleased eye. 'Oh, to be young and in love,' he thought to himself.

Now at the front of the hall the first years eyed the Sorting Hat with curiosity and most were startled when it began to sing. The song wasn't very different from the versions of the past several years. The Hat was becoming lazy in his old age.

"Abbot, Hannah!" Minerva called out and the entire hall watching as the petit blond was sorted into Hufflepuff. Name after name was called and Sev was startled when the name "Cage, James!" was shouted and Lily's hold on his hand tightened to a painful degree. Sev looked at his wife, now pale as a ghost with her mouth slightly open and a hand on her belly.

"Are you okay, love?" he whispered, mindful of the sorting. The dark haired boy seemed to be having a lively chat with the Sorting Hat. It happened sometimes with children that were difficult to sort. It wasn't anything they should have found remarkable yet the pressure on his hand did not ease.

"It's him," Lily whispered, so low Sev struggled to hear the words.

"It's who?" Sev asked, but Lily didn't answer, her eyes still locked on the dark haired boy.

"SLYTHERIN!" the Hat shouted, and Minerva removed the floppy old hat from the boy's head. Sev's eyes were drawn to the boy as he walked to the cheering Slytherin table, not just because the boy was the newest member of his house. James Cage looked… familiar.

The boy's short, very dark hair was slightly messy on top and he had a tall build for a boy his age, yet he didn't seem to find moving awkward. The boy sat at the end of the Slytherin table, smiling and giving thumbs up to a red-haired girl with odd blue streaks in her hair standing next to Draco Malfoy. It wasn't until the boy turned to the Head Table that recognition struck Severus like a sledgehammer.

If the boy's hair was slightly longer and he wore oval glasses, James Cage could be James Potter's twin. Severus turned his head and locked eyes with the Headmaster. The old man saw it too but none of the other professors seemed to be paying any attention to James Cage.

The Sorting went quickly, a still pale Lily clapping and smiling as "Granger, Hermione" and "Potter, Harry" were both sorted into Gryffindor, much to Sev's silent irritation. Draco Malfoy went to Slytherin, as predicted, and sat with the Cage boy, which was a surprise. Trisstessa Summers was sorted into Slytherin, the girl's blue streaked hair changing to serpent green as she tackled the Cage boy in celebration of her sorting. A reincarnation of James Potter and a metamorphmagus. Curious. Very curious indeed.

Severus glided through the dungeons, his mind torn between welcoming a new year of Slytherins, his wife's odd behavior, and the Potter doppelgänger. Lily was currently in Gryffindor tower making sure Harry and Hermione were settled in, a display that would embarrass any other child but Harry would take any affection from his mother he could get.

Sev always found Lily's treatment of Harry odd. He never would have pegged the once warm, social woman for a standoffish mother until he'd seen it with his own eyes. Even his own mother, Eileen Prince, showed him affection more often than Lily showed Harry. Sometimes, in the darkness of night with his wife's warm body curled next to his, Sev wondered if they should be bringing a child into the world. Sev desperately wanted children of his own but he feared any child of his being held at arm's length by its mother. Still, Lily expressed a want for more children and he didn't have the heart to tell her no.

Sev stopped outside the entrance to the Slytherin Common Room and cleared his thoughts. 'Brats will eat you alive if they know you're distracted,' he thought to himself. Inside the great stone room his small clutch of a dozen first years sat on the overstuffed green furniture, told to stay put by the Fifth Year Prefects already in their dorms.

"Good Evening," he greeted. The children echoed his salutation, all of them looking warn after the eventful day. "Welcome to Slytherin House. I am sure you are all ready to go to your dorms, so I will keep this brief. This House will be your home during your time at Hogwarts, and I expect you to treat it with respect. I understand there is a certain amount of rivalry between Housemates, but outside of these walls I expect everyone to get along and present House Unity.

"Over the next week I will schedule individual meetings with each of you to lay out individual expectations. We will continue to meet once a month or more to discuss your progress in classes and to set you up with any supplemental instruction you might need. Questions?"

As he spoke Sev took the time to survey the students. Up close James Cage's resemblance to James Potter only intensified and Sev found it very difficult not to sneer at the boy watching him with curious green eyes. The girl, Trisstessa, had changed her hair to match Draco's platinum blond and her pale blue eyes glinted red-orange in the firelight. Another combination he found distasteful.

None of the children had questions so he dismissed them to their beds, his own bed calling his name as he instead made his way to Dumbledore's office. The Headmaster requested a meeting with the couple as the Great Hall emptied of students, most likely to discuss the long-lost Potter relative. Sev had no doubt the boy was somehow related to James Potter and wondered if the scoundrel had the audacity to cheat on Lily while they were married. Even years after the man's death Sev still disliked Lily's first husband and his school rival.

Beyond the gargoyle Albus sat at his desk, sucking on hard candy while Lily actively tried to wear a hole in the carpet. She was still pale and had a hand protectively over her belly. Sev's earlier fears dimmed some at the woman's subconscious need to guard her unborn child.

"Good Evening, Severus," Albus greeted, his tone a bit more serious than Sev anticipated.

"Headmaster," Sev nodded. "Love?"

Lily stopped pacing and turned to Severus like a deer caught in the headlights of a muggle car. The next second her eyes overflowed with tears and Sev nearly dove across the carpet to catch her as she crumbled to the ground. "Shhh, love. It's okay." Lily sobbed harder as Sev tried to comfort her. His anger and resentment towards James Potter swelled to level it hadn't reached since his teen years.

"Oh God, Sev! I'm a monster!" Lily sobbed, her hands clutching his black robes like she thought he'd be sucked away if she eased her grip.

"You're not a monster, my love," he responded, planting a kiss on her forehead. 'James Fucking Potter. If you weren't already dead…'

Lily shook her head against his robes. "I couldn't protect him! I tried everything I could think of and that bloody demon murdered him anyway! He tore himself apart bathing in a pool of Harry's blood all for the sake of a fucking nonsense prophecy!"

Sev's heart hammered at the mention of the prophecy that placed Lily and her son so high on Voldemort's list. A prophecy Sev had personally delivered news of when he was young, angry and stupid. Still… "Love, Harry is safe and probably asleep in Gryffindor Tower."

"_That is not Harry_!" Lily screeched. She pushed Sev away, back on her feet while her husband sat on the floor watching his wife resume pacing in stunned silence. "That son-of-a-bitch murdered Harry and now his ghost is here to torment me for not protecting him from that monster. I promised James I would keep the secret. _I promised him_! And it didn't matter! Voldemort found him anyway, and I don't even know how!"

Sev looked from Lily to Albus and the old man's face mirrored the surprise he felt. Obviously Lily went off the deep after seeing a child that so-resembled her late husband and Sev was at a loss. "_What secret?"_

Albus was the first to take charge of the situation by conjuring a cup of tea and adding a touch of calming draught from the liquor cabinet cleverly disguised as the drawer of his desk.

Lily's sobs had returned into muttering, her pacing not slowing as Albus approached her with the cup and saucer.

"Lily? Please sit and have some tea. The stress is not good for your growing child." The Headmaster's words sliced through her delirium and she stopped, placing both hands on her belly. The baby kicked in response, sensing his mother's need for reassurance that he was still there and growing stronger by the day.

Comforted by the movements of her child Lily allowed the Headmaster to guide her to a soft leather chair and sipped the offered tea. Her muttering slowed and her eyes turned glassy as the artificial calm took effect. Sev pushed himself off the floor and gingerly sat in the chair beside Lily. He watched the woman carefully as he sat and mentally prepared for a second full-scale breakdown.

Albus returned to his chair across the desk and watched Lily with a thoughtful edge Sev didn't care for. "Are you feeling better, my dear?" Albus asked, popping another hard candy into his mouth. Sev privately marveled the man had any teeth left and Lily just nodded, clutching the cup and looking deep into the swirling darkness.

Albus seemed pleased by her response while Sev didn't quite know what to think. Post-James Potter depression, five years of marriage, three miscarriages and a foster child led him to believe he'd seen the worst his wife had to offer but her mutterings left him with a feeling of dread in his stomach.

Albus opened his mouth to speak but Lily's soft and flat voice cut through the silence. "Sev, what would you do to keep Baby S safe?"

Sev didn't need time to ponder his answer. "Anything."

Lily's eyes were locked on the liquid in her cup but he could see tears dripping down her face and into the liquid. "So would I. I felt the same about Harry when he was born. The prophecy… I wanted to outsmart it. I researched blood magic, a way to protect him but the wards were so advanced… I wasn't sure they took and I couldn't risk them not working. I wasn't going to let some psychopath come after my baby over the words of a drunk. We decided to have Harry in a muggle hospital. It wasn't hard from there. Just a swish of James's wand and their ID bands, papers, everything… they switched. We switched babies. We sent Harry home with a muggle couple and we took their son with us so that if Voldemort did manage to hunt us down he would be murdering the wrong child." Lily let out another sob, tears falling faster but her eyes still glassy from the calming potion. The two men said nothing. There were no words for the story Lily was telling them.

"It didn't work! Voldemort found the muggles and murdered them, and he murdered Harry. I… I felt the wards James and I constructed around their home go down. I got there as fast as I could but it was too late. The muggles were dead. Harry… oh God Harry… there was some kind of explosion and it _destroyed them both._ There wasn't even a body. I… I had to transfigure a clock to look like him, and rig the house to catch fire. I couldn't let anyone figure out what James and I did. I tried so hard and I couldn't protect him. I am a monster," Lily concluded, her voice so soft it could barely be heard.

Sev felt crushed under the weight of Lily's revelation. Harry Potter, the son of James Potter, a boy Sev had been raising as his own for more than five years, was not actually Harry Potter. He was a changeling. The real Harry Potter slept floors below their feet in the Slytherin Dorm guised as the dead muggle-born James Cage.

For the first time in many, many years Albus Dumbledore was lost for words. The man opened his mouth, closed it and opened it again. The news presented to him was unbelievable, especially because he'd been unaware. Changelings weren't unheard of in the Wizarding World. A few Pure Blood families had been caught swapping squib children with their muggle born counterparts in the previous centuries but muggles had so few rights that there were no true laws against it. What surprised him was that Lily Evans would be so willing to put another child at risk to save her own.

Albus stood from his desk seeking a small lime-green file cabinet not out of place with the rest of his knickknacks. After a few seconds of searching he withdrew a file with **Cage, James** scrawled at the top and placed it on his desk in front of Lily. "That boy is no ghost, Lily. If I had to guess I would say your blood magic was a successful defense against Lord Voldemort and after Voldemort's demise the boy got scared and ran away. You did what you needed to as a mother to protect your child. I can find no fault in you for that," Albus whispered. '_All for the Greater Good.'_

Lily nodded, her face red, blotchy and streaked with tears. "Thank you, Albus." She used the back of her sleeve to dry some of the tears from her face, offering her husband a grateful smile as he forced his handkerchief into her hand. Sev couldn't yet bring himself to look into the emerald eyes of his wife and missed the gesture, lost in his own thoughts about his wife's morally questionable action.

Lily cost two muggles their lives and left her son in unknown hands for more than six years, but she'd done it to protect him the best way she knew how. 'The road to hell is paved with good intensions,' he thought. Still, Sev still couldn't find fault with Lily because no matter how you sliced it he had been the one to tell Voldemort about the prophecy and forced Lily into a desperate situation. Allow her only child to be murdered by a madman or switch your child with one that has no reason to be targeted?

Lily's hands shook as she peered into the file full of information on a child she'd thought dead until only a few hours ago. The first thing to catch her eye was a large moving picture of James Cage sitting at the Slytherin table with the green-haired girl, both smiling and laughing. Lily's eyes overflowed with tears again, but this time it was happy tears. "He's alive," she whispered, running her finger over the boy's cheekbones and nose, silently attributing his features to James or herself.

Sev stood and peered over Lily's shoulder. Despite having seen the child with his own eyes Sev still couldn't wrap his mind around the fact that this boy was the offspring of his once bitter enemy and Lily Evans. That the stepson he had come to love as his own over the years wasn't really his wife's child.

Oddly it was that thought that made him angry. Lily had stolen that little boy from his real mother's love yet barely made an effort to love the child herself. In the few minutes Sev had spent in the presence of James Cage it was obvious the boy had the support of a loving family. Cage would never watch his mother with longing eyes, unable to understand why she didn't treat him with the same love and attention Molly Weasley treated her children. As the child of an abusive drunk and an indifferent mother, the treatment of Changeling Harry Potter made Sev's blood burn.

Sev took a step back from his wife's chair, his face turning dark with sudden fury. He locked eyes with the Headmaster and as if sensing his feelings the man mouthed the word, "Go". Sev made a silent exit, in need of space from his wife for the first time he could remember.


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: Just a warning, this chapter is a little dark for realism purposes. Not that I think people can recover from depression with a snap of their fingers, but more on that in future chapters. The next chapter is already written, and I might knock out another chapter tonight. I'm home from work on medical leave until next week due to injury and then out again for surgery on the 6th. Outside of schoolwork, I find I've got a lot of time on my hands. I might be convinced to release another chapter quickly in exchange for some reviews. The story seems to be generating a lot of traffic but let's be real for a minute: praise keeps my mind off the pain of a broken limb. And lets me know what you think. Just saying

Reader AZ: Statistically it is a low chance, but Lily has never been one to rely on statistics. There is a list recording the birth of all magical children in Britain, which is what the Hogwart's list is drawn from. I'm willing to bet that if that list exists, and Lily was already researching questionable magic, it wouldn't have been hard to duplicate and help her handpick the couple that would raise her son. The real question is, why was it so important for the changeling to be magical? And why wouldn't Neville's family just check the list instead of tossing the child out a window? Yes, James died but the rest is a surprise.

IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII

Lily traced the lines of her son's face over and over. "My son. I can't believe he's really here." It had been years. Years since she'd felt the wards around her son's home fall, years since she found the decaying bodies of the two people she'd chosen to parent her little boy. Years of lingering depression, years of loss after loss after loss.

First little Harry. They'd been so desperate to protect him, to the point they were willing to leave him with complete strangers. They'd watched from afar for a while, until Lily couldn't stand to watch her baby grow up without her anymore. And Changeling Harry needed her. James had done a far better job of taking the boy into his heart than she had, but it wasn't fair to neglect one child while pining for another.

Next James Potter, the love of her life, betrayed by a man he called his brother. The months after his death were only made bearable by knowing Harry was still safe as James Cage. If James had shared their secret among his closest friends then the information hadn't leaked to Voldemort. No one could find Lily to go after Changling Harry and no one knew about James Cage. He should have been safe.

The discovery of shredded remains where her son's bed should have been after the wards fell made Lily wish for death in a way she'd never thought possible. Her husband and her son were gone. Lily knew, for certain, without intervention from Severus Snape she would no longer be among the living.

Their friendship had only rekindled the year before the wards fell but Sev had always been so in tune with her. He knew the moment the blade touched her skin that something was wrong. He left Hogwarts in the middle of a lesson in the middle of the day to check on her, and his intuition saved her life. Just a few minutes later and she'd have been beyond the skill of any known Healer or Potions Master.

Sev had been angry with her but he stayed by her side every minute of her stay in St Mungos and personally escorted her to the therapy sessions he insisted on, even when she fought back. He took care of her when she couldn't care for herself and cared for Harry when she was too deep into the pit of depression to do anything but lay in bed. Sev saved her life and stepped in to father what he thought was the son of a man he hated. It was during that time Lily finally recognized she was in love with the man that would be her husband and the father of the child currently fluttering around the safety of her womb.

Now with a folder full of information on the son she'd thought she lost forever, Lily felt like she could fly. The lingering depression that followed her like a dark cloud seemed to dissipate, almost like it had never been there at all. Harry, her Harry, was right here at Hogwarts. He was healthy and looked happy and all Lily wanted in the world was to grab the boy and never let go. His file was disappointingly thin, but anything was better than nothing. Under James's picture his full name was penned in delicate script, along with his birthday and a large _**Unknown**_ in the section asking for his place of residence. It should have updated to Hogwarts by now.

Lily felt a moment of puzzlement before everything clicked into place. "It worked." Lily's eyes overflowed once again, but this time with happy tears. "Oh thank God, Sev, it worked!" She reached for Severus, expecting him to be reading over her shoulder but he wasn't there. Watery, red, tired emerald eyes swept the office once, twice but she didn't see the imposingly dark figure of her husband. "Sev?"

IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII

Sev stalked the corridors, as swift and silent as death itself. Any students wandering after curfew would count their lucky stars tonight because the normally sharp professor was too distracted to see poorly disguised shoes poking from under tapestries or hear the frantic shuffle of students taking cover in broom closets. His mind was filled with images of Harry. Blond, hazel eyed Harry Potter.

'_How have I never seen it before?_' Severus had always attributed Harry's looks to Lily's family and the hazel eyes to James Potter. Rose and Petunia, Lily's mother and sister, were both fair haired so it wasn't out of the question for Harry to have inherited the trait. But the more Sev thought about it the more obvious it seemed and the angrier he became. _'After all we've been through, how could she not tell me?'_

Details began falling into place for Severus. Lily's lingering and sometimes consuming depression and her desire to have more children even though her body didn't cooperate all suddenly came together. _'Even her suicide attempt six years ago makes more sense.'_ Severus shuttered. Finding Lily, the girl he'd been in love with since he was a child, motionless in a pool of her own blood gave him nightmares to this day. He could still recall every minute of his frantic flight from Hogwarts to Godric's Hollow, fueled by a sense of dread that made his heart palpitate. He expected to find the home destroyed, to find that the recent idleness of the Dark Lord had come to a flaming end after finally discovering the whereabouts of Harry Potter.

Instead he found nothing out of place, aside from an unlocked front door. Inside the house the sounds of a playful five-year-old were absent and all signs indicated no one was home. Still he investigated, the sense of dread growing with every passing second. He finally found her lying in the bed she used to share with James Potter, the sheets red with the blood still oozing from a single slit running from her elbow to her wrist.

The hours after were a blur. Severus knew he'd sealed her wound and dosed her with a blood-replenishing potion he carried in his emergency supplies. He took her to St Mungos where he fed them some lie about Harry's accidental magic at Lily's muggle sister's house to protect Lily from the ostracism of a suicide attempt. As the child of a suicide victim Sev knew all too well the challenges Lily would face if anyone ever found out what she did, the least of which would be the Ministry taking Harry away.

The Healer at St Mungos understood. Over the years she'd treated many examples of how dangerous a small child's magical outbursts could be. Flying kitchen knives? Just one of the many obstacles of raising a magical child, and one of the many reasons the Pureblood believed muggles shouldn't and couldn't care for their magical offspring.

After Lily's release he personally escorted the fiery woman to a squib grief counselor, one that could understand the science behind depression rather than condemn the victim as wizards so often did. The fact that the squib already knew about the magical world also meant he wouldn't toss Lily into an asylum. For her part, Lily fought him every step of the way. Unfortunately for her, Sev loved her and would do anything to keep her safe, even when that included delivering her to a psychiatrist's office in a full body bind because in the end it helped her.

Sev's feet led the way during his musings and after nearly an hour of wandering he found himself climbing through the portrait into Gryffindor Tower. _'Harry will be pleased,'_ he thought. Harry adored his stepfather more than he'd ever admit and confessed the evening before that he was anxious about the start of school and the impending birth of his younger sibling. "I'm afraid I'll never get to spend any time with you and you'll forget about me because of the new baby."

The common room was empty and Sev encountered no students on his way to the boy's dormitories. All the better since a few of the less informed students might wonder why the Head of Slytherin was wandering into the Gryffindor boy's dorms late at night.

The First Year dormitory echoed with soft snores from one of the boys and lack of shuffling indicated they were all asleep. Harry's bed wasn't hard to find because the trunk at the end of his four-poster was monogrammed with his initials. Sev pulled the curtain on the boy's bed open, then casting a silencing spell as he pulled them shut. Harry was a notoriously light sleeper so Sev wasn't surprised when he turned to see a pair of hazel eyes watching him.

"Dad?" Harry asked, sitting up and rubbing the sleep from his eyes. "Waz wrong? Is the baby okay?"

Sev sat on the edge of his son's bed, wrapping an arm around the boy and ruffling his hair. "Everything is fine, son. I know your mum was here earlier but I wanted to check on you myself. How are you getting along with your year mates?"

Harry shrugged. "Okay I guess. One of the boys that sat with us on the train hurt Neville's feelings, so he went right to bed. Dean and Seamus are nice, but they're mates from primary school. Ron is Ron. I think I'm more excited to finally start learning magic tomorrow."

Indeed, Harry looked eager and Sev chuckled lightly. "Until you have your first homework assignment. And remember your mother and I know all of the teachers so you are to be on your best behavior, understood?" Harry nodded and Sev knew he didn't have to worry about the blond boy's behavior. Really, the child being sorted into Gryffindor was a surprise since Sev knew most Gryffindor students to be troublemakers. Even Percy Weasley got up to his share of mischief when he thought no one was paying attention.

In Sev's unbiased opinion the boy was more suited to Hufflepuff, but probably talked The Hat into sorting him into Gryffindor in order to please his mother. The fire in Sev's soul sparked. The boy did so much to earn his mother's attention but it never seemed to be enough and now Sev knew why. He squeezed the boy a little tighter. "Get some rest, son. I love you and I'll see you at breakfast."

"Love you too, Dad. Night."

The walk down to the quarters he shared with Lily was quiet. Even his thoughts were muted. He wanted to be angry with his wife. To yell and scream and break things. To drink until the flood of feelings stopped.

The last urge gave him pause. He'd long since giving up drinking. The bottle was the poison that led his father to beat his mother and encouraged her own indifference and eventual suicide. But even with all that in his head, all Sev wanted to do was slip down to the Hogshead for a stiff Fire-whisky. Or raid Minerva's stores for the Ogden's Select he knew she kept there for grading the papers of especially obtuse children.

Finally reaching the portrait that concealed their rooms, Sev paused again. He had never felt this angry with Lily Evans before. They'd fought many times over all sorts of things, but this felt different. For a moment Sev considered not going inside, of staying in one of the many guest rooms peppered throughout the castle until he calmed down. He had a history of saying things he didn't mean when angry, and it had taken Lily years to forgive him for his slip as a teenager.

'_Maybe I should see Poppy.'_ As a former alcoholic the old medi-witch knew of his past struggle with the bottle and would be happy to take him over her knee for even considering a trip down to Hogshead. Then again, the start of term was a busy time for the witch. She might be tempted to join him.

"Draconis," Sev finally uttered. No matter the outcome, he needed to go inside and face his wife. It was late and the day had been full of excitement. Maybe she'd gone to bed and the inevitable confrontation could be put off until morning?

IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII

Lily sat on the bed she shared with her husband, absently stroking her belly. It was close to midnight and Sev still hadn't come back to their quarter. Albus suggested she give her husband some time to adjust to the news but Lily wasn't so sure. Her husband was the type to brood and get angrier as more time passed, time Lily wasn't willing to give him.

Petunia had once suggested her love for Sev was a type of Nightingale Syndrome. That she fell in love with him because he took care of her when she couldn't take care of herself. Lily knew better. If she really took the time to think about it, she could trace her feelings all the way back to her teenage years. Feelings she had never acted on because so many people, including her parents, made it clear Severus Snape was not the type of man Perfect Lily Evans should marry.

Her suppressed feelings for Sev were the root of her original dislike for James Potter, up until Sev had slipped and called her that foul name. Years later Lily could admit she'd overreacted but the words said in anger broke her teenage heart making it much harder to forgive. In her most honest moments Lily would go as far as to say her initial relationship with James Potter was simply to spite Severus.

Then James did the unthinkable. He made Lily fall in love with him. Almost a decade after his death Lily still felt love for her first husband but was at peace with his demise. Sev on the other hand… Lily wasn't sure she could go on without him. He was the father of her unborn child, her rock and her best friend. After so many years of melancholy Lily wanted nothing more than to apologize, to proclaim her love for Sev and share her joy at the realization her spell worked and her son lived.

The portrait creaked as it opened and Lily couldn't control herself. She flew at her husband, almost knocking him to the ground as the portrait closed behind him. "Sev! Oh, Sev. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I should have told you but I was afraid you'd never speak to me again and I can't live without you and I..."

By this point the tears were flowing and Sev couldn't understand the hysterical words pouring from Lily's mouth. Still, the part he did catch echoed in his head. She was sorry. She was too scared of his reaction to tell him the truth, because she couldn't stand it if he stopped loving her. Much of the anger that had burned in his soul for the last several hours dissipated, replaced by the intense love he felt for his wife and something else. Understanding.

While he still didn't approve of, and would address, the way she treated Harry he could understand the fear and shame she felt at the steps she took to protect her son. She had already dragged herself through hell for her decision; he didn't need to add to her burden. "Lily," he whispered, using a single finger to lift her chin until her eyes met his.

"I love you, Sev," Lily whispered, knowing it might be her last chance to tell him. In some part of her mind she expected him to spurn her, to pack his things and leave her forever. And she wouldn't blame him. She braced herself as he opened his mouth to speak.

"…I love you too, Lily." He placed a gentle kiss on her lips, tracing a pattern on her neck with his thumb. "Everything else… we can figure it out tomorrow… together."

Lily felt faint for a moment as she processed Sev's words; the words that were not a proclamation that he'd had enough of her but a reaffirmation of his love and willingness to stand by her side. Astonishment morphed into relief, bordering on pure elation. This amazing man that had done so much for her was willing to stay even after witnessing the worst she had to offer. He saw every fault and every flaw in action, and he still loved her. Relief morphed into something more surprising than anything she'd felt all night. Passion.

Lily reached up, her hand wrapping around the back of Sev's neck to pull him down to her level. Then she kissed him. It was a kiss full of the passion and the love she felt for her husband, of her elation and amazement, and it quickly took on a life of its own. She could feel Sev's hesitation, the ever-present worry that she would be jostled the wrong way and they would lose another pregnancy and she would return to her pit of despair. But Lily knew, for the first time in a very long time, that everything would be okay and she would never go back to the pit again.


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Stop. Don't go any father. Open Google and type in 'Alan Rickman Die Hard'. It's relevant, I promise. **

**I just want add in a small detail, which you may or may not catch during the reading. I'm approaching all of my original characters from the perspective that they died young in the JKR timeline. Ex: Triss died from exposure while hiding from her homicidal father because James wasn't there to stumble across her and take her home. The real James Cage died as a small child from a disease easily treated by the magic his parents didn't have access to, but Lily did. Does that make sense? Great!**

**Chapters 9 and 10 are written and ready to go but I'd like some feedback before I commit to this sequence of events. And this? This is why reviews are so great. You guys keep me on my toes and occasionally catch things I didn't leave out on purpose. Good job :)**

_**Guest from Chapter 5: You're very right. I'm 100% American, and Southern at that. As such the nuances of certain speech patterns escape me… and freak out my spell-check. There is also the small detail that Dragon, a Chinese man speaking very polished, unaccented English, raised James. I will see if I can fix some things when I go back to make some edits but the real beauty of reading is being able to cast any accent you want. As for Dragon, who ever said Dragon is from Tibet? Dragon was born in the Province of Shanxi, China in 1549 and began to travel and learn magic after the Shaanxi Earthquake of 1556 killed his family. The turmoil with Tibet didn't get really bad until the 1700s and is muggle in nature. That is my favorite thing about JKR's separation between muggle and magic: you can pretty much disregard muggle squabbles because the wizards? They don't care. There is a lot more to Dragon's history but I'm trying not to spit out too much information all at once. **_

It was early, too early for Sev to leave the warmth of his bed and the soft purr of his wife's snores. Sev stared at the bedroom wall, spooned behind Lily and absently rubbing her growing bump. His thoughts kept leading him to their late night and early morning passion. Sex had never been a priority for Sev and in her depression Lily often wasn't interested in the physical aspect of her marriage. The couple had even been abstinent during the course of Lily's pregnancy over fear of another miscarriage. The subtle movement against his fingers assured Sev that Baby S was not disturbed by the actions of his parents.

Sev on the other hand… He'd never experienced anything like what he'd felt with Lily in the early hours. It wasn't just the act itself, but the intensity. Until last night he'd never realized how… absent Lily was. It was like seeing James Cage, knowing her child was alive, had returned the spark of life he never thought he'd see again. It was a glimpse of the girl he remembered from Hogwarts, the one he thought died with James Potter.

Sev sighed. Laying there next to the beautiful woman carrying his child wasn't going to clear his head. Gently, he slid away from Lily's warm skin and crossed the dark room to his wardrobe. The sun wouldn't quite be up but a run would help clear his head.

After being teased all through his youth Sev made great strides to better himself after leaving school. With money left to him by his maternal grandfather it was easy to purchase new clothing suited to his frame and seek the assistance of a muggle cosmetologist. The woman had been thorough, teaching him about hygienic expectations that his mostly absent parents had neglected. The lifestyle changes were evident every time Sev looked in the mirror. Once long, oily hair was cut stylishly short and a nearly groomed beard drew attention away from his slightly crooked nose. The gangly body of his youth had filled out in adulthood, aided by a strenuous fitness routine including a daily run around the Black Lake.

Lily often joined him on his morning run but during her pregnancy just read by the lake while he jogged. Today Sev decided to let her sleep. He needed some time to himself and she would be tired from their late night activities. He ghosted a kiss on the crown of her head, tucked a stray hair behind her ear and was gone.

IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII

The early morning air was cool and the ground was damp with morning dew. The sky in the east was pink with the rising sun, providing just enough light for Sev to navigate down to the lake's edge. He stretched, warming his limbs and preparing his muscles for the activity. The first lap was easy, a way to clear his head. He allowed no thoughts to interrupt the serenity of his mind, his natural affinity for occlumency aiding his run.

During the second lap Sev allowed his shields to fall and realized he wasn't alone. Two figures stood in the glare of the rising sun, stretching as he had not long before. As he neared them he recognized the tall silhouette of James Cage and the much smaller frame of Trisstessa Summers. The girl's hair had changed again, now a rich shade of blue with eyes to match.

He slowed as he neared them. Lots of students used the trail around the lake for fitness reasons but all were much older. The trail cut close to the Forbidden Forest and occasionally a student, or even Severus himself, found themselves in precarious situations with animals that wandered a little too far from the brush. In his opinion the trail was too dangerous for two untrained eleven-year-olds, and as a professor and their Head of House his opinion counted for much.

"Good morning Professor Snape!" Triss greeted. Her sunny disposition was a little grating at this hour of the morning but Sev was well adjusted. On her better days Lily was a morning person too.

"To you as well, Ms. Summers. Mr. Cage. I trust you found the dorm room adequate for your needs?" he asked. Homesickness was his number one challenge with first years and making sure the dorms were comfortable had gone a long way towards lessening the number of children the Prefects brought to his office in the middle of the night, sobbing that they wanted to go home.

Triss smiled and nodded, James repeating her motions. Sev could tell that the morning was not the boy's favorite time of day and guessed he might push his companion into the lake if she continued to speak. Which she did. "They're lovely sir, and my roommate Daphne is very nice. We're all very excited for classes to start today!"

Sev nodded, pleased the girl seemed enthusiastic about learning but noticing one detail that increased his concern about the two children and their early morning fitness drastically. "I'm pleased to hear that, Ms. Summers. Now, can you tell me where your wand is?" While Sev's wand was attached to a holster on the inside of his forearm he could not see a wand on either child.

The children exchanged a look, clearly puzzled and James spoke. "In our rooms, Professor. Why do you ask?"

"Creatures are known to occasionally wander from the forest onto the trail. As untrained as you are, a wand provides at least some way to protect yourselves. Without one, I'm afraid I can't allow you onto the trail this morning," Sev explained.

The children exchanged another look, something Sev found deeply irritating. He was unpleasantly reminded of the silent exchanges between Sirius Black and James Potter in his youth. The fact that Cage was nearly identical to Potter at that age only annoyed Sev further.

"Umm, not to doubt you Professor but James and I will be perfectly safe. Our father was very thorough in teaching us to protect ourselves." Triss didn't mention that neither of them actually needed a wand. It wasn't a secret, but not something they really wanted to advertise after the debacle with Neville Longbottom.

Sev scowled. "Am I to understand your father is an experienced member of this staff, your Head of House, or an expert on the residents of the Forbidden Forest?"

"Our father is a Grandmaster and was one of the founders of The Academy in Shanghai. I don't think he has any Mastery in Magical Creatures, but he has been alive for a long time so it's possible. Does that count?" Triss asked. Her patience with the professor was growing thin.

For this part, Sev was struggling to control his tongue. It wasn't often that one of his snakes chose to argue with him and these two children were jumping up and down on his last never. '_Are they so short sighted that they can't see how dangerous it is to wander the grounds without a wand?'_ Sev took a deep, calming breath. "I do not appreciate nor tolerate lies from my students, Ms. Summers. You will report for detention in my office tonight after dinner. Now, I suggest you both go back to your dorm before I'm forced to start Slytherin's House Points in the negative."

Triss gasped and her face grew comically red. For a moment Sev thought the girl might cry, as if he hadn't had enough of crying females in the last twenty-four hours. She opened her mouth and Sev prayed she might talk back to him and earn another detention. Instead James spoke. "I propose a compromise Professor. If you feel we are so unsafe jogging on the grounds alone then maybe we can run with you? Obviously Triss needs her run to burn off some excess energy or she'll be a nightmare in classes."

Severus was impressed by the boy's logic, a trait he must have inherited from his mother. And Cage had a point. He would never hear the end of it from the other instructors if one of his snakes caused trouble in their classes, and he really didn't want his House to start the semester in negative points. The down side would be supervising two children when he was supposed to be relaxing and clearing his mind of the turbulence caused by the child in front of him. "I find your proposal… acceptable. On the condition that you tell me if you're too tired to continue so that I may escort you back to the castle. Understood?" The children nodded, Triss's formerly sunny attitude completely destroyed and her dirty looks made sure he knew it was his fault.

Sev set off at a slow jog, watching the children carefully to make sure they stayed with him. They kept up easily and by their next lap were actually outpacing him. Sev ran faster, his lungs burning as he pushed himself. All his earlier troubles were forgotten, his mind fully focused on keeping pace with the endless energy of the two eleven year olds. By their fifth lap Sev knew he had to stop but the children hardly looked tired even though they'd been going for well over an hour.

"Cage, Summers!" He shouted, slowing to a stop near the tree he used for his calisthenics, the next part of his routine. The children stopped and looked back at the sweaty Potions Master. "You may continue but you are to stay in my sight." The children nodded, running _faster_ than they had before. Sev shook his head. '_Rotten children.'_

Push-ups, sit ups, crunches and lunges. Sev completed each exercise methodically, finishing with several chin-ups on a transfigured tree branch. The children had done as promised and run from one end of the lake to the other at alternating speeds, where he could clearly see them. He was impressed by their speed and stamina, but chances were they'd be falling asleep in class by noon.

The sun had long since risen and breakfast would start soon. While many of the students knew their Potions Professor exercised early in the morning Sev didn't think crossing the entrance hall in sweats would enforce the strict, no nonsense teaching reputation he'd built for himself. And he needed to talk to Lily.

"Summers, Cage!" he shouted, drawing the children's attention to him again.

"Yes, sir?" the boy asked as they drew close to Sev, both children winded from their faster pace.

"You must return to your dormitory now. It is almost time for breakfast and I will not be here to make sure you don't feed yourself to the giant squid. Gather your things please," Sev requested. There was a bag over by his calisthenics tree that had to belong to one of the children since no one else was out at this hour. James responded with another "Yes, sir," and jogged to retrieve his bag. The girl waited with him, glaring not so subtly at her Head of House.

James retrieved the bag quickly and Sev observed another oddity. The boy was talking to a bracelet. "Does he do that often?" Sev wondered aloud.

"He talks to Sapphire all the time." The girls' response was clipped but Sev ignored her tone in favor of observing his newly discovered stepson.

As James drew closer Severus could see the boy's lips moving but it was the sound coming from those lips that made Sev's insides freeze and his bowels turn watery. The last time he'd heard sounds like that he'd been lying on a cold stone floor, beaten and tortured bloody and waiting for death. It was the language of Snakes, of the Dark Lord, and James Cage was speaking it.

IIIIIIIIIIIIIII

"I hate him!" Triss shouted after they had separated from the 'him' in question.

James sighed. He hadn't slept well, woken often by a nightmare he couldn't quite remember the details of and Triss had been ruffling his feathers since he woke to her kitten-self biting his nose. He tried to hold his temper in check, but Triss's outbursts were wearing him thin. "It's your own fault Triss. Dragon warned us about the way of thinking here but you ignored him. We could have just snuck away, transfigured some sticks into wands, and continued with our run but you had to run your mouth," he criticized.

Triss stared him down, her eyes starting to water. "He called me a liar, James! How can you take his side?"

"I'm not taking sides, I'm telling you to stop acting so childish. Obviously the man doesn't know any better, but I doubt he'll be open to learning if you just lash out at him. You mouthed off, he gave you a detention. That's how it works here. Either get used to it or go home!" By the last sentence James was shouting and Triss was crying. It only took a moment for James to regret his words, but Triss had already fled down the hall.

IIIIIIIIIIIIII

After cleaning off the grime from his morning workout and making sure Sapphire was comfortable in her terrarium, James made his way out of his room. The sleep assignment was two to a dorm but there were an odd number of boys in his year so by a stroke of luck James had his own room.

The stairway and common room were empty, everyone already in the Great Hall for breakfast. James walked over to the banister to the girl's side and started to climb, but after only a few steps the stairs turned to ice under his feet and he slid back down to the bottom. "What?" James wondered, attempting the stairs a second time with the same effect. "Right, then." James tapped the banister twice, muttering an incantation. Nothing happened. "She must be in the Great Hall already," James concluded, since the lack of effect meant there was nothing human or shape shifting upstairs.

As predicted, the girl was sitting at the Slytherin table, entertaining her year-mates with the various hues of her hair. Her yellow cat-eyes caught James's with a single warning: stay away. James was disappointed but understanding. He'd hurt her feelings and she needed some space. He would apologize later, when she had some time to cool off. It wasn't the first time he'd said something stupid to make her mad and he was sure it wouldn't be the last.

IIIIIIIIIIIII

Severus burst into Albus's office, still dressed in his sweaty exercise clothes. He was out of breath and felt a little faint. For his part, Albus looked startled to see the younger man. "Severus, what a pleasant surprise. Lemon drop?"

"Cage is a vessel for the Dark Lord," Sev burst out.

All the sparkle went out of Dumbledore's eyes. "I'm sure you are mistaken Severus. You're just a bit overwhelmed-"

"HE IS SPEAKING PARSELTONGE ALBUS!" Sev shouted. "The same language of the Dark Lord that suddenly disappeared without a trace six years ago! Right around the time Cage's family was murdered and Cage himself disappeared. The Dark Lord is possessing that boy, damn it!" Sev slammed his fists down on the desk, anxious for the Headmaster to see his point. "Say something Albus!"

Albus stroked his beard, pondering the news while Sev barely restrained himself from reaching over the desk and shaking the old man. "I can understand your concern, Severus. However, the Potter Line is a long one filled with many talents. It is very possible he simply inherited the ability from his father and Voldemort has nothing to do with it."

Severus desperately wanted to slap some sense into the old man. "Then how do you explain him even being alive? I know better than anyone alive how powerful and ruthless the Dark Lord is. That child should be every bit as dead as Lily thought he was, his head mounted on a pike in the Dark Lord's throne room, but he isn't. The only thing that makes sense is the Dark Lord killing the child and stealing the body!"

Albus nodded, patiently considering the Professor's explanation. "Alternatively," he began, "Your wife could be an extremely powerful witch with access to a vast amount of Blood Magic invented by earlier lines of the Potter Family. It is also possible this Blood Magic might have allowed this powerful witch to erect a very special shield around her son, a shield fueled by a mother's blood. This shield may have been so powerful that it turned Voldemort's Killing Curse back on him and tore his soul away from the mortal world, leaving a scared little boy to run away from a scary place occupied by his murdered mother." Albus paused. "I find your version compelling Severus, but overall I think mine is better."


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: Last chance! I'm about to commit to a series of events and I need you to **_**tell me if you don't like where I'm going.**_ **The last chapter did not get ANY reviews, which could mean A) I'm doing great and nothing needs to be changed or B) "It's awful, why are you bothering?" **

** If it's A, please let me know so I can keep going where I'm going. It seems like people only review for the bad stuff now a days, which is only so helpful. What parts do you like? Are there any questions I've left unanswered? Is my character portrayal any good? I need to hear the good and the bad.**

** If it's B, why is it awful? Is it just not your type of story or are there a lot of errors I didn't catch when I revised? I'm generating literally hundreds of visitors and I'm sure some of you must have something to say…**

** All chapters were revised sometime around Sept 20****th****. I believe I changed Dragon's age and elaborated on or corrected some of the issues people pointed out. Just another reason why reviews are helpful! :)**

"Mum!" James shouted, jumping nearly straight up in his bed. His heart hammered and his lungs burned as he scrambled to his feet and searched his room for intruders.

There was no one there. Again.

James slid to the floor with his hands covering his face, trying to block out the images flashing through his mind. Every night since his arrival at Hogwarts he had the same dream. The same dream of a demon-like man torturing and murdering a pretty blond while he looked on, completely helpless. James hated feeling helpless.

It wasn't hard to determine what he was dreaming about, even during first few nights when the images were fragmented and hard to remember. Now James just wanted to forget.

"But mom and dad died in a fire," he argued. No one answered him and he didn't expect a response. Over the past few days it had been made exceedingly clear how alone he was at Hogwarts. Triss was still mad at him and occupied by her new friends. Every time he tried to approach her she would disappear or warn him off. Her message was pretty clear: Leave me alone.

He'd written Dragon about the dream but hadn't yet received a response. It was possible the Grandmaster was traveling now that he had no children to watch over, so it could be days or weeks before James received any response. In the mean time he was sleep deprived, confused, angry and lonely. Sapphire provided some company but at the end of the day she was a snake. She didn't understand the complexities of human life and sometimes James wished he didn't either.

To top off everything else, James was having trouble with his coursework. It wasn't the theory; that he could recite in his sleep. It was using a focal point that only needed a small amount of energy to make a spell work. More often than not James ended up overpowering the spell and causing an explosion, much to the amusement of his peers. After the first few times he just completed the assignment without the wand at all but most of the teachers wanted to see the magic in practice. When he couldn't recreate the phenomenon with his wand he was accused of cheating which resulted in detention. It was frustrating but James dared not anger anyone else with his knowledge of wandless magic.

Harry Potter and his friend Ronald Weasley had spread his "insult" to the shy, quiet and generally well-liked Neville Longbottom all over the school. As a result no one seemed interested in getting to know the "foul tempered James Potter look-alike".

That particular description annoyed James to no end. It seemed that he had an uncanny resemblance Professor Evan's late husband and the speculation in the castle was that James Cage was the result of James Potter's elicit affair with a muggle. As little as he remembered about his parents, James knew his mother loved his father and an affair was unlikely. Still, it bothered him and it wasn't like his mother or James Potter were around to confirm or deny the rumor.

"Maybe I should just go home?" James wondered aloud. The entire point of attending Hogwarts for a few years was to make friends and spend time with children his own age, a task he was obviously failing at. James's eyes burned with unshed tears. Hogwarts was supposed to be fun but the only thing he'd done so far was lose his best friend and the ability to sleep through the night.

IIIIIIII

James jumped. The alarm spell he'd set for the morning was causing his nightstand to flash and vibrate near his bed. He fell asleep on the floor. James climbed to his feet and rubbed the sleep from his eyes. He'd been too drained from sleep-deprivation to stick to Dragon's exercise routine, opting to stay in bed until the last minute. He dressed quickly and made a quick stop at the shared boy's bathroom to wash his face. 'I look awful,' he thought, drying with one of the many fluffy towels provided by the house elves.

Breakfast in the Great Hall consisted of sitting at the end of the Slytherin table and eating as much as he could before it was time to leave for class. Triss sat more towards the center of the table with her dorm-mate… Daphne? James eyes wandered up to the Head Table, noticing that Professor Evans was watching him yet again. '_She probably heard that I'm the bastard son of her late husband and is wondering if he really did cheat on her,'_ James thought, annoyed. Irritation seemed to be the only thing he was able to feel anymore. He ignored the concerned emerald eyes of the professor, eyes back on his breakfast.

Only a few minutes passed before the other students started packing up to move on to their first lesson and James followed his fellow First Year Slytherins. Today's morning lesson was flying, probably the first lesson James had looked forward to since his arrival.

It was bright, warm and breezy on the castle lawn. Madam Hooch, a hawk-eyed woman with short white hair, had already lain out two rows of brooms for the First Year Gryffindors and Slytherins to use. James took a broom at the end of a row, across from Neville Longbottom. The boy in question averted his eyes from the pale, tired looking Slytherin.

"Alright everyone. Place your right hand over your broom and say 'up'!" Madam Hooch instructed. James did as he was told and the broom shot into his hand on the first try.

"Best be careful, Cage. Might blow up the broom if you aren't careful!" Ron Weasley teased. James didn't rise to the bait, instead focusing on Madam Hooch's instructions and mounting his broom.

All the tiredness that had sunken into his bones eased as James rose into the air, feeling free for the first time in days. He'd only flown a few times before but it always came with a feeling of exhilaration and peace. A few other students followed him into the air, none looking as comfortable as he felt. The Longbottom boy in particular seemed to be having some trouble and was jerkily drifting away from the class on the morning breeze.

On the ground, all of Madam Hooch's attention was focused on Hermione Granger and her unwillingness to kick off and join her peers in the air. Hooch didn't seem to notice as her clumsy pupil drifted away, nor did anyone else in the class; all too distracted with learning to control his or her brooms to notice Longbottom's distress. All except James.

Realizing the teacher wasn't coming to help him the Longbottom boy tried to land his broom. James watched as the boy mistakenly leaned forward causing the broom to accelerate wildly. James was tearing after Longbottom before the first shriek left his lips.

James gained on the zigzagging boy quickly and prepared to catch him when Longbottom started to lose his grip on the broom. As predicted the boy's grip slipped while he was still more than fifty feet in the air. He rolled backwards, his legs flying over his head as he tumbled from the broom… and his arm was caught by the Slytherin waiting a few feet below.

Most of the class's attention was on the two by now, a few of the children applauding what they could see of James's daring catch at that distance. Madam Hooch was in the air and racing towards the two children and Triss… "Why is Triss screaming?" James turned and his tired eyes focused on the shape shifter. She was waving her arms and pointing behind him. James turned to look, but it was too late.

Neville shrieked as a huge bough came down on the school broom and cleanly splintered it in two. The broom immediately descended into a wild spiral and James struggled to hold Longbottom's arm and steer the broom, but it only mattered for a few seconds before they roughly crashed into the ground. James was on his feet first, very aware of the dangers of the tree branches above him. The Longbottom boy wasn't as fast, cradling his arm as he struggled to his feet.

He didn't see the bough flying right at him, but James did. With a mighty leap James did the only thing he had time to do. He pushed the boy out of the range of the tree.

Instead of hitting Longbottom square in the chest the tree caught James's leg. He screamed in pain at the sudden impact, the sheer force of the hit more than enough to crush his appendage, a blow that would have killed the Longbottom boy. A second branch swung wildly, catching James' face and shoulder while he was still airborne from the initial blow and he tumbled end over end until he struck the base of the tree. The sudden impact forced another scream of agony from his lips and he struggled to draw the expelled air back into his lungs.

James's ears rang and his vision filled with a bloody, red haze as he gasped for air. He could see blurry figures running across the lawn towards the tree and the vibrant hair of his best friend racing towards him. He could hear her screaming over the buzz in his ears, screaming his name and telling him to move. "I can't," he wheezed. "Too tired."

James just watched as the figures closed in on him. Some kind of ward must have been set on the tree to alert the professors if anyone neared the Whomping Willow because a few of the sprinting figures were teachers that should have been in class. Even the Headmaster was identifiable, sprinting towards the tree in sparkly yellow robes much faster than a man his age should have been capable of.

In his semi-consciousness James wondered why the Willow hadn't struck him again. "Maybe it can't reach its own base?"

A seasoned sprinter, Triss was going to reach him before anyone else and all James could see was one of the limbs crushing her under its weight. "St-stop!" James gurgled, lifting up a hand to try and stop her. Like magic the Willow began to move again, the arms swaying menacingly in the air.

One of the Professors, Snape, was far faster than he looked and tackled Triss to the ground only feet before she crossed into the Willow's striking range. "James!" she screeched, clawing at the ground and trying to push the heavy professor off of her. When he didn't move she resorted to using her fists, rolling over to punch and kick and bite at the man in an effort to get to James's side. Still the professor didn't let up, unwilling to let one of his snakes charge into the range of the deadly tree.

The Willow's arms danced in the air, but this time they had a new target. A small, fast tabby cat danced through the thundering branches until she reached James's side, her paw pressing on the knob James's arm had been resting on a few seconds before. "'Elo, 'fessor," James greeted, blood dribbling from his mouth as he spoke. He was losing feeling in his fingers and toes and his vision seemed more hazy around the edges than it had a few seconds ago.

The tabby shifted, her paw-turned-hand still placed heavily on the knob that froze the Whomping Willow. The professor was pale as she looked over her student, immediately casting frantic spells at the boy in rapid succession. Spells to stem internal bleeding, secure shattered bone and force air into the child's damaged lungs. In only a few more seconds Dumbledore was kneeling along side her with the Mediwitch Poppy Pomfrey, all with their attention trained on the broken boy.

Students from the flying lesson all gathered around the Willow, watching in awe as the small shape-shifter screamed and thrashed under the weight of their Potion's Professor while the Headmaster, Deputy Headmistress and Mediwitch all frantically cast spells at the battered, bloodied body of their year-mate.

Harry Potter, Hermione Granger and Ronald Weasley all gathered around Neville Longbottom. The boy sat on the ground several feet out of the range of the Willow watching the scene before him with wide, terrified eyes. His arm was clutched to his chest yet somehow didn't look right to his gathered friends, like his elbow bent the wrong way. "Are you alright?" Hermione demanded as she slid to the ground near her friend.

The horror struck child managed a small nod, eyes glued to the gruesome scene at the base of the Willow. "H-he pushed me out of the way," Neville muttered, still disbelieving.

"Who did?" Ron asked. They'd been far away when Neville started shrieking, the only thing they could make out at that distance was someone in black robes being tossed around by the massive tree.

"C-Cage. He ca-caught me when I fell off my broom and-an-and the wind blew us into the tree. It was going to-to hit me and he pushed me out of the way!" Even to Neville's ears the story sounded fanciful. Slytherins did not stick their necks out for Gryffindors but there was no denying what he saw. James Cage just saved his life, perhaps at the cost of his own.

A heavily pregnant Lily Evans was the last of the summoned professors to arrive at the Willow, her concern peaking when she saw three of the Hogwarts Staff working over a faceless student while her husband subdued another. "Mom!" Lily's attention turned to her changeling son, Harry. "Mom, Neville is hurt!" Lily rushed to the children as quickly as she could with her large belly. Indeed, when she knelt by her Godson she didn't need a spell to diagnose his mangled arm.

"What on earth happened?" she demanded. She ran her wand over the boys arm to ease the pain and immobilize it. Any further healing would need the skills of a professional lest she set the bones incorrectly and cause more damage.

"Neville lost control and fell off his broom. One of the Slytherins tried to help him but the wind blew them into the Whomping Willow," Hermione explained.

Lily surveyed the area with growing dread. She didn't see James anywhere and the student Sev was subduing… it was the little shape-shifter James arrived at the school with. "Oh God." Lily's stomach flipped. "Oh please, no." She looked at Albus, Minerva and Poppy closely. They were still casting spells at the limp body on the ground. She turned her head again when she heard her husband shout. Sev had been knocked backwards by the girl that was again charging towards her fallen friend.


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: Please take a look at a GoFundMe . com (slash) SustainableAqua It's a great cause, and even if you can't afford to donate please share it on your Facebook or Twitter. Thank you! **

**Happy October 1****st****! My surgery is looming closer and I'd like to get another chapter out of the way before any of my bones get remodeled, so I'm releasing this a few days earlier than planned. Enjoy! **

Triss could feel it. Could feel James's heart struggle to pump blood and she needed to get to him. Snape's weight pinned her down and for more than a minute she struggled against him with no success. Until she remembered that this wasn't a fun-wrestling match with James and this man was standing between her and her best friend. Gathering her magic Triss lashed out at the man and the blast of magic sent him flying back, away from her.

She was on her feet again, closing in on James. Up close the boy was a mess. Under all the blood his nose had been crushes almost sideways and bone could be seen beneath a laceration in his cheek. His eyes were open and flittering around, eventually coming to rest on her. 'Triss!' he mouthed, his arm weakly reaching for her.

Triss dove into the jumble of professors without hesitation, actually pushing Dumbledore aside to grasp the hand reaching for her. "Oh God, James! Why would you _do that?"_ she screeched. James knew what a Whomping Willow was and how dangerous they could be.

James didn't answer, just held her hand tightly while the staff worked their magic. "We need to move him to the hospital wing, Albus. He is not stable enough for a move to St. Mungos but this damage can't be undone without potions and equipment. We need to go. Now!" the Mediwitch insisted.

Triss paled. James had been in accidents before but nothing like this. Even obscured by the baggy robes she could see where part of his chest struck the Willow. That injury alone should have killed him but James's magic was powerful. Even as the professors uttered spell after spell to try and stabilize the boy his own magic was coursing through his body and speeding repairs far beyond the human rate of healing.

James was mouthing words at her again, the words as clear as her own on his lips. 'I'm sorry.'

IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII

Sev had recovered from his short flight and rough landing and was staring at shape-shifter in disbelief. '_How is she doing that?' _Cautious of the wild magic still palpable around the girl, he kneeled down with the other professors. "What can I do?" he asked, observing the mess that was the beaten child.

"Oh thank God, Severus. Are you carrying your emergency stock?" Poppy asked.

Severus leveled a look clearly conveying his answer. _'Of course I'm carrying my stock, you twit.'_

"Then quit acting like a nincompoop and dose the child. He is bleeding internally and won't make it to the Hospital Wing at this rate!" Ordinarily Poppy would try to downplay the gravity of the situation in front of other children but this boy did not have time to not be taken seriously.

Severus moved to the child's head, completely blocking out the words being muttered by the girl holding Cage's hand. The boy was in rough shape, all from diving into a dangerous situation to rescue an equally idiotic brat. _'Just like his idiot father. And where in seven bloody hells was Hooch while her student was getting tossed around my a murderous tree?!'_

Sev removed several vials from the extendable pouch he kept tucked into his waist. Years of functioning as a spy under a delusional psychopath left him more than prepared for emergencies such as this.

The boy resisted a little as Sev forced his mouth open and urged the potions down his throat. The boy could barely breathe; it wasn't surprising he didn't want to close his airway long enough to swallow something. Sev flinched as one of his personal concoctions took effect with a series of pops and cracks. The boy screamed in agony as his ribs were forced back into place, shortly followed by his nose. "If he can scream that means he can breathe," Sever reminded himself as he drew his own wand. The boy was as stable as he was going to get without the stores of muggle and magical tools kept in the Hospital Wing. "We need to go," Sev urged, and the others agreed. Dumbledore mobilized the child with a wave of his wand and they were off towards the Hospital Wing.

As they moved the boy Sev spotted Lily sitting on the lawn with Harry, Hermione, Ron and Neville. He paused. Anxiety grasped his soul about Lily's reaction to this troubling development but one word had him pick up his pace to keep up with Poppy and the Headmaster. 'Go!' Lily wanted him to go with her son. He was one of the few people in the world she trusted to do everything within his power to fix the boy's broken body. And he would, even if it killed him.

IIIIIIIIIIII

Minerva opted to stay behind. As a member of the school's staff and at one time a member of the Order of the Phoenix, Minerva had a basic understanding of how to keep someone alive long enough to reach Healing hands. Unfortunately the boy was beyond her skill and they needed someone to hold the knot on the tree down until the rest of the party was clear. Minerva was fast in her old age, but she still needed the agility granted by her cat self to escape the swinging branches.

Clear of danger and once again human, Minerva surveyed the scene before her. Hooch had corralled most of her students back into the castle but others had followed their Professors onto the grounds after proximity alarms went off near the Whomping Willow. "Everyone to your Common Rooms! Classes are canceled for the rest of the day!" Minerva announced. Normally cheers from the students would meet such an announcement but most were too stunned by what they had witnessed to make any sound.

Dozens of students watched in horror as the two First Years drifted into proximity of the tree. The Slytherin boy had done a fair job of landing the broom after the Willow had snapped off the front half but they'd still landed in the danger zone. More shocking still was the Slytherin boy leaping in the air to push Neville Longbottom out of the way of certain death, only for the swinging limb to catch his leg shortly followed by another grazing his face and sending him tumbling into the base of the tree. Most of the older students were sure the impact had killed the child and were trying to make the younger students look away from the carnage.

The fact that the Head of Slytherin tackled the First Year's friend to keep her from running into the tangle of swinging branches further reinforced the dire situation. They all knew the tree could be dangerous but never understood the true implications… because nothing bad could happen at Hogwarts.

Minerva continued to usher students into the castle and watched as Lily Evans escorted her son, foster daughter, and Godsons along behind the others. As a mother herself, Minerva recognized the signs of post-partum depression in Lily Evans shortly after the birth of Harry Potter. In the years since, the girl had descended into a permanent state of depression. It was only since the beginning of the school year that Minerva noticed a change in the soon-to-be-new-mother, a brightness that hadn't been present since the death of James Potter.

The shape shifter girl, Trisstessa, greatly reminded Minerva of a young Lily Evans while James Cage reminded her of Severus Snape, though there was no doubt in the aging witch's mind that Cage was the bastard son of James Potter. There was no other way to explain the uncanny resemblance. The entire staff had taken notice as they viewed the boy up close in their classes. 'Poor Lily,' thought Minerva as she followed the few lagging students into the castle.

IIIIIIIIIIIIIII

Triss kept pace with the professors escorting James to the hospital wing, still holding the battered boy's hand. James had finally lost consciousness during their flight through the castle and Triss felt an overwhelming sense of dread building in her chest. _'Please be alright, please be alright,' _she prayed as they finally broke through the Hospital Wing doors.

"Stay back!" Sev ordered as the Headmaster deposited the child on a hospital bed. The child paid him little mind, grasping the hand of her friend as if she could keep his soul on this side of the veil by sheer force. "Call St. Mungos, get Healers here now!" Ordinarily Poppy would have given such an order but she had disappeared to pull medical supplies from her storeroom. The Headmaster nodded grimly, moving to the fireplace to make the call.

Severus turned his attention to his wife's son. The boy's nose was back in place but his cheek was still lacerated to the bone and bleeding. Sev traced the cut with the tip of his wand, muttering a healing spell as he went. It might scar, but Poppy could fix that later. Sev's first priority was stopping the boy's bleeding. He could only be dosed with so much blood-replenishing potion.

Poppy arrived, levitating a series of muggle and magical medical devises, including oxygen and a respirator. She quickly slipped the oxygen mask over the boy's face and drew her wand, casting diagnostic charms on the boy's abdomen. "Your potion did well repairing some of the damage, Severus, but the boy's spleen is hemorrhaging. Can you assist me?" she asked.

Sev nodded. It had been many years since he interned under the Mediwitch but he felt confident in his abilities. Gloves were conjured and within minutes the old women had pierced the boy's abdomen, shifting organs around until she had a clear view the damaged spleen. Using her wand as a scalpel, she cut the organ from the child's body, repairing blood vessels, nerves, tissue and flesh as she closed the wound.

"He's still bleeding somewhere. His pressure is low," Severus observed, watching the boys vitals fluctuate on a flat, wheeling monitor Poppy had spelled for this purpose.

"Check his leg," Poppy ordered, her hands still busy closing the wound in his abdomen.

Sev cast yet another diagnostic spell over the boy and found the source. A very, very tiny opening in the boy's femoral artery where shattered bone had nicked it. Sev placed both hands over the clipped artery and pressed down. It would slow the bleeding until Poppy's hands were free to fix it. It was at that moment the small spark of hope that the child might survive was shattered against the wall of reality.

The alarm on the monitor blared and it wasn't hard to see the boy's heart had finally given into the strain and stopped beating normally. "Poppy!" Severus shouted. "The artery is tearing, fix it!"

Poppy traded places with the larger man, waving her wand in a complex motion over the boy's darkly bruised leg while Severus forced another dose of blood-replenishing potion into the boy. "Rennervate!" Sev shouted, pointing at the boy's chest. Under the proper circumstances the counter-curse could be used to jolt a heart into returning to a normal rhythm, but it had no effect on James.

Triss stood near James's head, tears falling freely as the Mediwitch and Potions Master worked over the boy. After unsuccessfully trying to spell the boy's heart into the proper motion, Sev climbed onto the bed and used his arms to manually pump the boys' heart. He flinched as the boy's sternum gave way under the force of his hands.

Triss clutched James's hand tighter, dread settling into her stomach and an unfamiliar pain piercing her chest, like a thousand hot knives trying to carve out her soul. She bit her lip, refusing to scream and clutching James's hand tighter.

For what seemed like a long time Sev alternated between muggle CPR and magical resuscitation. The boy didn't respond. Poppy had settled into a chair near the bed, a hand over her mouth to hold in her sobs. She'd never lost a student in her time at Hogwarts, much less one so young. The Headmaster stood a few feet behind her gazing at the boy with sad disbelief. As a child of prophesy this shouldn't have been possible… unless Voldemort really had perished during their confrontation.

Finally exhausted, Sev couldn't continue to work on the boy. "He's gone," he whispered, stepping off the bed and sliding to the floor of the hospital wing. As Head of House, the idea of losing a student was hard. As the husband of this child's mother, it was devastating. The ward was silent, all wishing to pay their respects to the boy that had died trying to help another student. The piercing, agonized shriek that echoed through the hall surprised them all.

Triss clutched her chest with her free hand, her nails digging into the flesh trying to counter whatever was pulling so strongly on her soul. She'd heard the Potions Master's words, but they couldn't be true. She could still feel James; feel his life force tugging on hers so hard she thought her insides might come tearing out.

And she felt another presence. Something dark and primal, the thing that was pulling on her life force so hard. Something she'd felt once before, the dark presence of Death.

"_**No!"**_ she screeched, flying to her feet. "_**You can't have him!"**_

Ignoring the tearing feeling on her soul, Triss gathered crackling, blue energy into her hand and struck James in the chest. In her minds eye she could see the energy traveling through his body and out the not-quite-tangible strings of his life force. She could feel Death's attention turn to her as her magic shocked the entity, but it did not stop pulling.

Albus sidestepped around the bed, unsure how to approach the obviously distraught youth. He placed a hand on her shoulder, to offer comfort because there was nothing left to do for the boy. They had healed his injuries the best they could and the child's soul still slipped beyond the veil. He was gone and abusing the child's corpse would do nothing to change the outcome of this dark day.

The youth's fist rose up again, and with a hand on her shoulder Albus could see what she saw. The boy's soul connected to hers and being yanked on by a figure made of darkness and shadows. He watched as the girl struck her soul mate with magic a second time, watched as the blue energy zipped through the tendrils of life force and seemingly burned the hands of Death. Still, the dark figure did not let go. Albus released the girl's shoulder, staggering back in shock and disbelief.

Triss raised her fist above James's chest a third time. _**"I said you can't have him!"**_ She struck the boy's chest. The release of power was so bright that all in the room had to avert their eyes to avoid temporary blindness.

Severus rose to his feet and turned to the hospital bed as the brightness faded. '_Of course it will fall to me to remove the crazy girl from the view of her dead friend_,' he thought, already physically and emotionally exhausted, and dreading telling Lily she had lost her son all over again. For good this time.


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: Surgery went well and I'm bed bound with a few metallic additions to my bones. I'm working on my own book with a release date around Christmas since I'm not that busy. Again, I'll post the first chapter as a preview when I'm closer to publication. Initial run will be ebook format (Amazon and BN) with bound, autographed copies available for order directly from me. More details on that later. **

**I did a little research… Every time JKR described the grounds of Hogwarts as warm, she was full of it. The warmest average temperature in Scotland occurs in July/August and is a frosty 19 degrees centigrade. That's 66 degrees Fahrenheit. You know what I call that? Winter. Average warmest temperature in September? 13.9 centigrade. Let me get my parka. **

Triss slumped onto James' chest, exhausted. His ribs felt odd under her weight, but the steady thump of his heart against her cheek was reassuring after generating so much energy to drive away the Reaper. Triss' arms wound around her unconscious companion and her cheek stayed pressed against his chest as she pulled her legs onto the bed, wrapping those around the boy as well. A physical and spiritual anchor to the mortal world, ready to spring into action should the Reaper return and try to steal the child's life from his body. Assured that she would be ready to fight off any threat to James' continued survival, Triss slipped into a light slumber.

IIIIIIIIIIIIII

Severus Snape looked upon the two children, aghast. '_That boy was dead,'_ he tried to convince himself, all while watching the stead rise and fall of the boy's chest beneath the girl's head. Sev, himself, tried every spell he could think of, many with origins in black magic, and it did nothing to help the boy. Yet this girl had brought him back from the veil with her glaring bursts of wild magic.

Albus sat on the floor on the far side of the bed, his face reflecting the horror Sev felt in his bones. "Impossible," Albus muttered, his eyes wide and focused on the girl. His face had flushed white and for a moment Severus thought the Headmaster might be ill.

"The girl has powerful, if wild, magic," Sev observed, offering an arm to pull the Headmaster to his feet. Albus accepted.

"That girl just fought Death off of that boy," Albus wheezed, now on his feet but his hands on his knees as if he'd just run a marathon. "I could see their souls linked together, and the mystical form of Death tugging at the boy. The girl channeled her magic to repel it. She must…"

Albus trailed off but Sev understood what he was implying. "Surely not, Albus. The girl is a Muggle-born and that bloodline died off centuries ago, Death's revenge for trying to conquer the veil. There are no Masters of Death."

"Then I beg you to explain what I just witnessed," Albus implored, fingering the wand hidden deep in his robes. Albus himself possessed two of the Hollows, one in the form of the Elder Wand and another in the form of James Potter's invisibility cloak. If the girl possessed the Resurrection Stone, perhaps it was Albus's hand on her shoulder that allowed the combined Masters of the Deathly Hollows to drive away Death. Certainly a thought that required a bit more speculation and research.

"We…we should finish healing the boy Severus," Poppy interrupted, her eyes still red and swollen with her tears.

Sev shook his head. "Now that the boy is out of danger, the potions will finish healing him given time. The child just needs sleep, and I'm hesitant to approach the girl. Wild magic in children can be dangerous and I'd rather not push her any more today."

In truth the girl's magic scared the Potion's Master. Wild, or accidental, magic often wasn't seen in children after they started at Hogwarts. For a child to put on such a display could only mean she was immensely powerful, and in Sev's mind power often translated to danger.

IIIIIIIIIII

Lily paced outside of the curtains guarding her son's bed. Neville had long since been healed and sent on his way by Poppy but Lily stayed as close to her son's side as she could. The girl, Trisstessa Summers, still slept beside James. Poppy had tried to make the girl move into her own bed but she resisted so forcefully that everyone felt it safer to leave the girl where she was. An idea that Lily found appalling, but she was in no position to argue.

Lily paused her pacing at a hand on her shoulder. For a moment she expected to see Sev watching her with those dark, concerned eyes but instead she met the soft brown eyes of Poppy. "Did Severus leave to rest?" Poppy asked, taking the taller woman by the arm and guiding her the few feet into the Medi-witch's office.

"He did. I understand he went to great lengths to assure the boy survived his encounter with The Whomping Willow. It's a true miracle," Lily observed, absently rubbing her expanding bump as Poppy forced a cup of tea into her hands.

"Indeed. I just have to wonder why you are pacing outside of the boy's curtains at this hour rather than resting with your husband?"

Lily sighed. It was time to implement the lie she and James had first formed all those years ago, a lie to protect them from any fallout should the truth of James's parentage every become known. "I don't know, Poppy. I feel drawn to the boy, and I have no idea why. He just…He…"

"He looks a great deal like James. Lily, I know it's painful but are you absolutely certain that James didn't have an affair? I know you've heard the rumors; I know you can see that boy could be a twin to an eleven-year-old James Potter. The boy is even named for the man." Poppy didn't mean to be harsh, but it seemed so obvious. James Potter had been something of a lady's man during his years at the school, it was more than possible that he had a slip into his old life with a muggle woman one night, and it resulted in a baby that would grow to be the spitting image of James Potter.

Lily's hand shook as she grasped her cup, trying to suppress her anger. Of course she'd heard the rumors, it was hard not to, but it angered her that so many would be willing to slander her late husband's memory based simply on the looks of a young boy. She took a deep breath to steady herself. "Poppy, Harry looks nothing like James or I," she began.

Poppy, confused, began to interrupt but a raised hand from Lily stopped her. "It is no secret that I struggled with depression after Harry was born, even more so after James died. I just couldn't… bond with Harry. For a long time I thought it was me, that I was just an awful mother. Now I look at Harry and don't see any of James, or myself but I look at James Cage and see James Potter's face with my eyes…

"We were in hiding when I gave birth, so we went to a muggle hospital. In some ways, they're so much more advanced than we are. No reading by candle light or writing with quills. But sometimes muggles make mistakes. I… I think they made a mistake. I think they sent us home with the wrong baby…"

IIIIIIIIIII

James felt more tired than he had ever felt in his life, even after days of not sleeping due to nightmares. A soft weight rested against his side, and he didn't need to open his eyes to know it was Triss keeping watch over him. '_Go back to sleep. I will protect you until you're ready to wake up,'_ her voice whispered, her hand ghosting across his forehead. James didn't have the strength to argue and quickly drifted off to sleep, comforted by the soft warmth at his side.

IIIIIIIIIII

It was bright and sunny the next time James woke, and the warm weight he'd become accustomed to was not present against his side. "Triss?" he groaned, trying to sit up. His eyes were bleary but it only took a moment to zero in on the redhead and the blond sitting near his bed.

"You're awake!" Triss cheered, tossing aside a deck of cards and diving at her long-slumbering friend. "If I weren't so happy you're awake I would strangle you for being a moron!"

James was confused. "Why? What did I-oh…" It all came rushing back to James, from catching the falling Longbottom boy to pushing the same boy out of the way of a flying tree branch, and then blackness. "Is the Gryffindor okay?" he wondered.

Triss rolled her eyes. "Of course, you were the only one so damaged that you almost died." Triss leaned in very closely, her lips nearly brushing James's earlobe and sending funny tingles down to his gut. "I had to fend a Reaper off of our souls," she whispered, so quiet that the blond couldn't have heard her words.

James' skin paled to a color similar to the hospital sheets. "Are you okay?" he asked, eye sweeping from the dark auburn of her hair, over her pale skin and down to her pristine Hogwart's uniform. The last time either of them had encountered a Reaper Triss almost hadn't made it out.

"I'm fine. It hurt when it tried to tear you away, but it wasn't desperate enough for food to fight off a bonded life-force," she assured. Still, James couldn't help but notice how she absently kneaded a patch of skin below her collarbone but above her developing breast. Another subject James was more than happy to ignore.

"But James…" He stiffened. It was never good news when Triss used that tone. "I think you should read this…"

**Potter Not A Potter?**

_**By Rita Skeeter**_

**Muggle Hospitals, long known for deplorable conditions and barbaric "treatments", can now also be known for mixing up children. This reporter has uncovered the terrible truth, that the Heir of the Noble and Most Ancient House of Potter is not a Potter at all. **

**You read correctly. Harrison James Potter, the only son of the late hero James Potter, is not a Potter at all. Despite her Muggle ties, it was Muggle-born Lily Potter who first suspected the mistake. **

"**At first I thought it was just me, that I was a horrible mother for not being able to bond with my own child. But as he grew and started to look less and less like James or myself, I started to suspect the truth. Then I saw Mr. Cage at the sorting, and I just knew [he was my son]." –Lily Potter**

** Unknown Muggles reportedly raised the Heir to House Potter, as a fire killed Muggle parents Alexander and Emma Cage in 1986. It is suspected that the true Potter child, now named James Cage, escaped the fire by use of accidental magic. Until recently many students at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry assumed that the Cage child was the result of an illicit affair between James Potter and muggle Emma Cage. **

** "My son wrote me his first week at Hogwarts to tell me about the resemblance between Cage and the late James Potter. I simply assumed Potter must have been seeing another woman, and Cage was the result. The boy does share a given name with Potter, a practice I know to be common in muggle culture. It is certainly a shock to learn about a switch, but I am pleased the Ancient and Noble Potter name is not sullied with a bastard child." –Lucius Malfoy**

** With the birth of Squibs at an all-time high in Pureblood families, is it possible that some of our "Muggle-born" children were simply given to the wrong family? I urge every reader out there: If you've had a child born at a muggle facility, you need a Dee Enay Test to confirm you're not raising a muggle imposter. **

**Dee Enay Tests are currently being offered for 1 galleon at St. Mungos Hospital. You may owl Terence Cullboot to schedule an appointment at your earliest convenience. Do you have suspicions about your child? Schedule a test today! **

James struggled for words for several seconds after reading the article. "This can't be true?" he asked, urging Triss to tell him otherwise.

She shrugged. "It only arrived a few minutes before you woke up. Professor Evans and Professor Snape have both been here to visit several times, but neither said anything. I haven't had time to ask Madam Pomfrey either. If it is true, at least you won't be teased for being the bastard son of James Potter anymore?"

Triss was sad for a moment, clearly remembering the days she spent estranged from her best friend. She heard the whispers and saw their effect on James, but in her anger she hadn't done anything to stop them. And then she almost lost him. In that moment Triss promised herself that she would never allow herself to be separated from her best friend again.

James laughed a little, still subdued by the article. "James?" Triss asked and James looked up and into the dark blue of her eyes. He could read the sadness and the guilt in them.

"It's okay Triss. We're both sorry for what we said and did, and we forgive each other. It's not the first time I've said something to hurt your feelings and you've given me the silent treatment, and I'm sure it won't be the last," James jested. He knew his attempt at humor fell flat when Triss started to cry. "Please, don't cry," he begged. He hated it when she cried.

"You died, James! Your heart stopped beating and I could feel you slipping away. If I weren't so stubborn I would have noticed you going after Neville Longbottom and I would have chased after you!" At this point her words dissolved into nonsensical sobs and James could only rub her back while she cried into his starched hospital gown.

James had almost forgotten about the blond hiding in the corner, looking very uncomfortable. James recognized her at Triss's roommate, Daphne… Groundleaf? Greenshrub?

"Hello," she whispered, giving James a little wave. "I'm Daphne Greengrass, Triss's roommate. I'll just wait outside." James nodded, thankful for the girl's willingness to give them privacy. Just as the girl disappeared beyond the curtain the stout Medi-witch tore the opposite curtain open.

"Ms. Summers!" she screeched, but her eyes turned soft as she noticed the puffiness of the girl's face and the redness of her eyes. Her eyes then moved up to the conscious boy staring at her with the hard eyes of Lily Evans.

IIIIIIIIIII

Lily paced in Albus's office, an unpleasant reminder of the week before when she'd first confessed to her crimes. Sev sat in the same armchair he'd occupied that night, reading the Daily Prophet over and over.

"How would she know any of this?" Severus asked, his tone reflecting silent fury.

"That no good, bloody fucking BITCH has the Hospital Wing bugged. She was obviously spying on my conversation with Poppy, when I asked her to DNA test James Cage. Her quote is almost word for word from my conversation with Poppy." Lily's anger wasn't as contained as Sev's, her raging hormones contributing to her near-murderous rage.

"I will see to this matter immediately. In the mean time, I think it best you address young Harry Potter before his classmates become over zealous with this new information," Albus suggested.

Lily froze. She'd actually forgotten about the ramifications this would have on Harry. Yes, they planned on word getting out at some point but that was after she and Sev had time to sit down with both boys and explain things. "Sev?" Lily shouted, spinning around with a hand on her belly. Sev seemed to be on the same wavelength as she only caught the corner of his dark cloak as he disappeared.

IIIIIIIIIII

Lily moved her pacing to the quarters she shared with Severus. Knowing her husband, he would bring Harry here so they could speak with him. While she waited, Lily felt the old feelings of guilt and depression weigh down on her. _'How could I forget about the child I've been raising for eleven years?'_ Lily wondered, tugging at her hair.

It had long been a puzzle, even in her own mind. Yes, she knew Harry wasn't her real son but he was still a child in need of a mother's love. But at every opportunity she had neglected his needs for her own, or Sev's, or James', or Baby S. She had neglected the child, and as she felt Baby S move inside of her she felt the weight of her actions.

Harry Potter had grown up with the bare minimal, and often sporatic, love from the only mother he would ever know. If not for Petunia Dursley and Severus Snape, the boy may have grown up without any love at all. "I have to fix this," Lily muttered. "His mother died trying to protect my son. I owe him this much."

At that moment the portrait opened, admitting the blond, chubby form of Harry Potter with Sev Snape in toe. Fueled by guilt and raging motherly hormones, Lily took Harry into her arms. "I'm so sorry Harry," she sobbed. The boy was stiff at first, but relaxed into his mother's arms and returned her embrace. Soon he was sobbing as well.

"How long have you known?" Harry finally asked, sniffling. His face was still buried in Lily's bosom but they had moved to the large sofa, with Lily leaning into Sev while she held Harry.

Lily sighed, prepared to continue the lie re-hatched in Albus's office. "I've suspected for a long time, Harry. Your dad told me I was crazy but a mother knows. All these years that I've known something wasn't right, and it took me until now to realize that I've taken it out of you and it's not fair. You were just a baby," she whispered, clutching the child tightly.

The boy's sobs increased in intensity. Through his sobs Lily could make out a single, heart-breaking sentence. "Are you going to send me away?"

It was Sev who soothed the boy over Lily's shoulder. "No, Harry. You are our son. Baby S, James Cage… Nothing changes that."

The boy's sobs did not lesson and Lily knew the boy needed to hear the words from her. She lifted the boy's chin and forced him to look at her face. "Harry," she began. "I have been unfair to you. No matter what I suspected, you are a child and you needed me. I wasn't there for you. You are my son, and I'm sorry. I love you Harry, and I'm going to make this up to you," Lily promised, drawing the boy back to her chest.

IIIIIIIIIII

The Medi-witch released James within hours of him waking up, with the promise he would return if he felt ill at any point in the next few days. It was Sunday so James allowed Triss to drag him away from the corridors full of gossiping students. It was still early September and the grounds were warm… for Scotland. By the time they reached the Black Lake James was out of breath. The last several days had taken their toll on him.

"Sit!" Triss ordered, forcing the heavily breathing James into a seated position against the base of an ancient yew overlooking the lake.

"Just where I want to be, near another tree," James joked.

Triss slapped his shoulder. "That isn't funny Jamie. What were you thinking?" she demanded, sitting opposite of him with her back to the lake. The closest student was hundreds of meters away, so she felt it safe to breach the subject.

James shrugged at her question. "I wasn't thinking. I've been having a hard time sleeping and I just… acted. I didn't think I had enough time to cast and for the spell to knock Longbottom out of the way before the tree hit him. And then it hit me, and then it's hazy. I remember you taking my hand, but that's about it." James shrugged again.

"I tried to save you," Triss confided. Her voice shook, but she was determined not to cry. "I was going to charge the tree and tear it to shreds, but Professor Snape tackled me before I could reach you. He's a lot faster than I gave him credit for," Triss laughed, more from irony than humor. "After that it was just a matter of holding your hand while the professors tried to heal you, then fighting off the Reaper. You apologized to me before they moved you to the Hospital Wing, you know."

James gave a half smile to his best friend, pulling her to him so they could both watch the Giant Squid skip stones on the lake. "What did Dragon say about all this?" James wondered. He still hadn't received a reply to his questions about his dreams.

Triss shrugged. "I wrote him, of course, but I haven't gotten a response yet."

"That's… odd. I wrote him about my bad dreams earlier this week and haven't heard anything either."

"Bad dreams?" Triss asked, concerned.

James ran a hand through his hair, inadvertently reminding the eyes now watching the children of the late James Potter. "Yeah. I think I'm dreaming about the night my parents died. If any of the things I'm dreaming are real, then they didn't die in a fire."

Triss wanted James to elaborate, but they were interrupted by the smooth voice of their Head of House. "Mr. Cage, Ms. Summers," Sev greeted. The two students waved hello in return. "I trust you've read this morning's paper?" The children nodded. "In light of… recent developments, Professor Dumbledore would like to extend an invitation to his office to discuss the details in the paper." Despite the phrasing, both pre-teens knew an order when they heard it.

IIIIIIIII

Lily resisted the urge to start pacing again. After her talk with Harry this morning she was feeling drained, but she needed to talk to James as well. She wasn't expecting much, it was obvious the boy had grown up with a loving family and had even come to Hogwarts with a… companion, but she needed to try and form some kind of relationship with the boy.

Albus sat at his desk silently. He'd done that a lot since Trisstessa Summers revived James Cage. Lily had only heard Sev's perspective, but her understanding was that Summers resuscitated the boy with accidental magic. Albus, on the other hand, was under the impression that the girl somehow battled Death away from the boy. Ridiculous.

It took nearly a half hour of silent waiting before the sound of brick grinding on brick alerted to duo to impending visitors. The first person through the doorway was the small, red-haired girl, followed by her much taller companion and finally by Sev. Lily sprang to her feet as quickly as her ever-expanding belly would allow.

For a moment they all stared at each other in silence, then Albus spoke. "Please, sit." Everyone chose a spot in the circle of sofas created around Albus's desk. James and Triss sat together, as did Lily and Sev while Albus stayed behind his heavy piece of oak furniture. "Obviously we would prefer your guardian be present for this discussion, Mr. Cage, but we have been unable to reach Mr. Shui."

"Grand Master Shui," both children corrected, almost reflexively. The adults all stared at the children and they fidgeted, a little nervous. Dragon's title as a Grand Master was not a secret, but so far no one at the school had embraced that information.

"Our adopted father is Grand Master Dragon Shui. And you are correct, we've also been unable to reach him," James elaborated. "It's unusual, but also possible he is deep in the mountains or underground somewhere. Owls would not be able to find him."

Lily's suppressed her distaste. _'What kind of guardian makes themselves unreachable in the case of an emergency! The boy almost died two days ago!'_

"I see…" It was clear the Headmaster recognized the Grand Master's name, and he did not appear pleased. "You've seen this morning's paper?" he continued. Both children nodded. "May we hear your thoughts on the matter?"

James hesitated for a moment, but answered. "Honestly sir, the only family I've ever known is the Grand Master. I guess it's… nice… I have other family out there but I don't really know what to say other than that." '_Except that Professor Evans looks ready to eat me…'_

The Headmaster was puzzled by the boy's admission. "According to your file, you only came into Grand Master Shui's care when you were five years old. Old enough to remember Alexander and Emma Cage," Albus probed. He needed to know what, if anything, the child remembered of Voldemort's death.

James rubbed at his scar, a nervous tick he'd developed since arriving at Hogwarts. It always seemed to ache, especially when he thought about the death of his parents. Albus noticed and filed the action away for later speculation.

"I don't remember anything before the Grand Master adopted me, sir. We didn't even know my last name until the letter came from Hogwarts, he said I just showed up on his doorstep one day, lost and scared. He tried to find my family but it's difficult when no one knows you're missing and you have no last name," James explained.

Albus nodded, the embodiment of a kind and understanding grandfather. "I understand completely, dear boy. Now, I believe Professor Evans has something to say. Lily?"

Lily fidgeted in her seat, looking at the child with a mixture of dread and longing. It took her a moment to gather the words. "I understand the way you feel, James, and I accept that. You don't know me, but I carried you for nine-months. I knew before you were born, knew that you didn't like it when I ate tomatoes or seafood. Knew that you were always more active at night. I knew all sorts of things about you before I ever met you, and I knew in the hospital that something was wrong when they handed Harry to me.

"I should have fought harder for you, so that I could watch you grow. Now you have another family, but I would really like it if you would let me be part of your life." By this point Lily was sobbing and she hid her face behind her hands. Sev, seated next to her, placed a comforting arm around the sobbing mother.

For his part, James found the situation was awkward. Did he feel some kind of connection to the woman sitting in front of him? Yes. It was odd, and not unlike his connection to Triss but far weaker. Still, he didn't know her, not that it was truly her fault. James looked at Triss, but she could only shrug. She'd never known her mother either.

"Um… I guess that would be… okay?"


End file.
